LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

CALIFORNIA 

DIEGO 


ON  INDIA'S  FRONTIER. 


J 


E  \A  VS     T     E     R    N 


I      N    D 


H       INDOSTAN 


Scale     350  Miles  to  inch. 
Mr  Ballantines   route 


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ON  INDIA'S  FRONTIER; 


OR 


NEPAL 

THE  GURKHAS'  MYSTERIOUS  LAND. 


BY 

HENRY   BALLANTINE,  M.A. 

LATE    AMERICAN    CONSUL    AT    BOMBAY.       AUTHOR    OK    "MIDNIGHT 
MARCHES   THROUGH  PERSIA." 


NEW   YORK 

J.    SELWIN   TAIT   AND   SONS 
65  FIFTH  AVENUE 


COPYRIGHT,  1895, 

BY 

J.   SELWIN   TAIT   &   SONS, 
NEW  YORK. 


All  Rights  Reserved. 


To 

HONORABLE   CHARLES  P.  DALY, 

FOR  OVER  A  QUARTER  OF  A  CENTURY 

President  of  the  American  Gcograpliical  Society, 

AND  ONE  OF  THE  FOREMOST  PROMOTERS 
OF  GEOGRAPHICAL  RESEARCH, 

Gbte  Uolume  is  IRespectfullE  H>e&icate& 

BV 

THE   AUTHOR, 


ON   INDIA'S  FRONTIER; 

OR 

NEPAL,  THE  GURKHAS'   MYSTERIOUS  LAND. 
By  HENRY  BALLANTINE,  MSA. 

Late  U.  S.  Consul  to  Bombay. 


INTRODUCTION. 

"  Hitherto  shalt  thou  come,  but  no  further" 
may  be  said  to  be  the  dictum  of  the  British 
Foreign  office,  written  and  expressed  all  along 
the  northern  boundary  of  India's  frontier,  and 
he  "  may  run  that  readeth  it."  The  traveler 
must  abide  by  this  ruling,  especially  if  he  be 
a  Feringhi,  or  white  man,  anywhere  within 
the  borders  of  British  India,  whether  he  be 
English,  American,  German,  French,  or  of  any 
other  foreign  extraction,  contemplating  the 
passage  of  this  boundary  with  a  motive  ever 
so  peaceful,  friendly,  or  disinterested. 

He  who  would  overstep  this  political  de- 
marcation from  any  point  on  the  Hindustan 
1 


2  INTRODUCTION. 

side,  is  at  once  seized,  brought  back  into 
India,  and  ordered  to  return  whence  he  came. 

As  long  ago  as  Sir  John  Lawrence's  time, 
and  since  then  more  zealously  and  jealously 
maintained,  there  has  been  mapped  out  by 
England,  under  the  supervision  of  the  India 
Government,  a  Neutral  Belt,  with  the  Himalaya 
Mountains  for  its  southern  base,  and  extend- 
ing up  northwardly,  comprising  vast  stretches 
of  little  known,  and  most  of  it  quite  unknown, 
territory,  divided  up  among  independent 
tribes  more  or  less  hostile  to  each  other. 
These  tribes  are  furnished  with  arms  and 
ammunition,  in  certain  cases  to  a  large  extent, 
by  the  India  Government,  and  are  left  to  act 
as  they  please,  so  long  as  they  do  not  meddle 
with  British  territory.  They  constitute  what 
are  known  as  the  "Buffer"  States  and  are 
used,  one  and  all,  as  a  breakwater  against  the 
ever-threatening  flood  of  Russian  invasion 
from  the  far  north. 

Whenever  there  is  the  slightest  indication 
of  what  may  seem  like  Russian  aggression 
towards  this  British -constituted  belt,  it  is 
deemed  a  sufficient  signal  of  alarm  for  the 


IN  TROD  UCTION. 


India  Government  to  do  its  utmost  to  head  off 
Russia's  apparent  attempt  to  invade  India,  or 
to  call  upon  that  Power  for  an  explanation,  or 
enter  upon  a  rearrangement  of  the  boundaries 
of  the  so-called  Neutral  Belt,  encouraging  the 
tribes  within  its  borders  by  bribery,  or  self- 
interest  even,  to  maintain  it  intact.  Any  ap- 
parent encroachment  upon  this  boundary  is 
tantamount  to  a  casus  belli. 

From  the  foregoing  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
Policy  of  the  India  Government  is  to  let  the 
northern  frontier  tribes  maintain  their  inde- 
pendence, continue  to  practice  deeds  of  darkness 
and  misrule,  allow  them  to  cherish  any 
internecine  course  of  action  they  like,  while,  as 
the  paramount  power,  this  Anglo-Indian  ruler 
retains  the  right  to  interfere,  as  may  best  suit 
its  purposes,  even  to  the  extent  of  taking  the 
part  of  the  stronger  against  the  weaker  side, 
and  freely  distributing  war  material  to  those 
whom  it  favors; — anything,  in  fact,  that  will 
promote  its  frontier  policy. 

On  the  other  hand,  great  as  England  has 
proved  herself  to  be  as  a  general  ameliorator 
of  those  subject,  even  at  a  distance,  to  her 


INTRODUCTION. 


dominant  sway,  it  cannot  but  be  regretted 
that  her  representatives  in  the  far  East  should 
persistently  discourage  any  commercial,  en- 
lightening, or  civilizing  attempts  from  outside 
to  reach  the  natives  inhabiting  this  particular 
belt,  who  so  long  as  they  act  as  able  guards 
and  protective  outposts,  ranging  themselves 
into  a  bulwark  of  resistance  against  northern 
intrigue,  so  long  have  they  their  independence 
assured  them,  and  their  harmful  exclusiveness 
guaranteed  and  abetted  by  this  same  India 
Government. 

We  are  constrained  at  this  point  to  go  back 
and  pay  tribute  to  those  grand  types  of  men 
who  laid  the  foundations  of  the  present  great 
Empire  of  India. 

There  were  giants  in  those  days,  in  every 
sense  of  the  word,  men  of  unflinching  principle 
and  of  great  capabilities,  unswayed  by  par- 
tisan interests  or  political  sympathies,  com- 
missioned and  sent  out  under  the  auspices 
of  the  famous,  liberal,  The  Honorable  East 
India  Company.  These  officials  can  never 
be  equalled  by  their  present  successors  in 
the  East ;  while  their  example  and  good 


IN  TROD  UCTION. 


works  stand  out  beyond  all  comparison,  and 
beyond  any  possible  competition  by  the 
present  race  of  Lilliputians,  stigmatized  com- 
petition-wallahs— (those  selected  by  compet- 
itive examination),  who  compose  the  Anglo- 
India  rule  of  to-day;  at  the  same  time  I 
have  no  doubt  that  if  similar  desperate 
emergencies  should  arise  British  valor  and 
splendid  capabilities  would  not  be  found 
wanting. 

Those  were  times  too  when  men  were 
trusted  to  do  their  best  by  the  far  off  country 
they  represented,  and  to  the  country  to  which 
they  were  accredited  and  governed ;  inasmuch 
as  they,  being  on  the  spot,  were  naturally,  and 
wisely  supposed  to  act  according  to  the  needs 
of  the  hour  and  the  sudden  requirements  of 
their  peculiarly  strange  surroundings,  instead 
of  being  dictated  to  and  hampered  from  a 
distance  of  8,000  miles,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
present  officials;  and  that  too  by  men  in 
London  who  have  never  lived  in  India, — some 
not  even  having  seen  the  country, — and  who, 
in  consequence,  despite  cablegrams  and  rapid 
steam  communication,  can  never  comprehend 


6  INTRODUCTION, 

the  situation,  or  realize  the  nice  adjustments 
requisite  for  meeting  and  harmonizing  so 
many  conflicting  elements  as  are  crowded  into 
their  Eastern  Empire  with  its  30x3,000,000 
inhabitants  of  diverse  creeds  and  languages, 
and  kept  in  order  by  60,000  British  soldiers, 
assisted  by  twice  that  number  of  sepoys  or 
native  troops. 

Nepal,  the  subject  of  these  pages,  the 
mountainous  home  of  a  recklessly  brave  and 
hardy  race  known  as  the  Gurkhas,  ranks  as 
the  most  powerful  and  favored  of  India's  fron- 
tier tribes. 

Outside  of  a  small,  select  British  official 
class,  who  have  been  posted  there  at  different 
times  by  the  India  Government  to  watch  after 
its  interests,  the  number  of  other  foreigners 
permitted  to  visit  Nepal  can  be  counted  on 
one's  ringers,  and  these  during  their  short 
licensed  sojourn  in  that  territory  are  under 
constant  espionage.  No  wonder,  then,  that 
Nepal  is  a  terra  incognita — an  unknown  as  well 
as  a  mysterious  land — to  the  outside  world. 
Though  nominally  subservient  to  China,  pay- 
ing its  tribute  quintennially  to  the  Celestial 


IN  TROD  UCTION. 


Empire,  it  virtually  recognizes  the  direct  su- 
premacy of  Great  Britain,  to  which  power  first 
and  foremost,  in  the  personnel  of  its  foreign 
office,  application  must  be  made  for  any  per- 
mission to  enter  this  country's  borders,  declar- 
ing in  detail  the  plan  and  object  of  the  ap- 
plicant's projected  trip,  with  all  particulars 
concerning  himself ;  and,  even  then,  his  request 
is  likely  to  be  denied. 

Hence  the  title  of  this  little  work — 

"ON  INDIA'S  FRONTIER, 
OR  NEPAL,  THE  GURKHAS'  MYSTERIOUS  LAND." 


ON   INDIA'S  FRONTIER; 

OR   NEPAL,   THE   GURKHAS'   MYSTERIOUS    LAND. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PREPARATIONS   FOR  THE   START. 

"  Travel  has  lost  all  romance  "  was  a  remark 
made  by  a  Russian  officer  to  the  writer  as  we 
were  ascending  the  Volga  in  a  magnificent 
steamboat  built  after  the  most  approved 
American  model.  This  sentiment  was  reiter- 
ated afterwards  in  the  United  States  by  an 
American  under  very  different  circumstances, 
and  again  expressed  by  a  British  officer  when 
steaming  down  the  Red  Sea,  as  a  fellow  pas- 
senger, on  board  one  of  the  Peninsular  and 
Oriental  Company's  boats  bound  for  Bombay. 

Something  of  this  idea  is  expressed  by  the 
orthodox  Mahomedan  and  Hindoo,  whose  con- 
ception of  romance,  if  any,  is  somewhat  vague 
9 


10  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

and  tinged  with  a  religious  sentiment.  This 
is  especially  the  case  when  they  begin  to 
question  the  merit  of  a  pilgrimage,  the  one 
to  holy  Mecca,  the  other  to  sin-emancipating 
Benares,  borne  on  the  flight  of  steam  and 
under  the  patronizing  guidance  of  the  ubiqui- 
tous Cook  and  Son.  On  that  account  both 
contrast  these  times  unfavorably  with  the 
good  old  meritorious  days  of  their  fathers, 
when  there  were  no  facilities  for  travelling, 
and  when  it  was  as  rare  as  it  was  difficult  to 
become  a  venerated  Haji,  or  a  revered  pilgrim 
from  Kasi  (Hindoo  for  sacred  Benares). 

However,  all  this  concerns  us  not.  We  have 
a  story  to  tell,  a  simple  unvarnished  tale,  and 
our  readers  must  decide  whether  all  travel  is 
destitute  of  romance,  and  if  there  should  be 
any  Hindoos  among  the  number  we  would 
seriously  inquire  of  them  from  their  point  of 
view  whether  we  cannot  lay  claim  to  some 
punya  or  merit — "  Treasure  in  heaven." 

Since  every  story,  as  well  as  every  journey, 
must  have  a  beginning,  we  will  start  from 
Darjeeling,  and  commence  by  asking  the  reader 
where  this  is.  Even  presuming  that  he  knows 


8   S1 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  11 

all  about  the  place,  we  will  be  presumptuous 
still,  and  state  that  Darjeeling  is  a  sanitarium, 
a  city  on  the  Himalaya  Mountains,  7,000  feet 
above  sea  level,  375  miles  due  north  of  Cal- 
cutta, and  brought  within  twenty-four  hours  of 
that  city  by  direct  railway  communication. 

It  is  surrounded  by  tea  gardens,  whose  pro- 
ducts have  already  outrivalled  those  of  China, 
and  is  as  great  a  resort  as  it  is  a  boon  to  worn- 
out  Calcuttaites  and  other  people  of  India's 
plains. 

The  climate  is  bracing,  and  the  scenery 
grand,  the  most  prominent  feature  of  the 
landscape  being  Mt.  Kinchenjunga,  43  miles 
distant  in  a  straight  line,  across  deep  valleys 
and  precipitous  ranges,  piercing  the  sky  with 
its  quadruple  head,  scarred  with  age  and 
white  with  driven  snow,  28,000  feet  above  sea 
level.  It  is  the  second  highest  point  of  land 
in  the  world.  From  Darjeeling  one  can  look 
off  and  over  into  Nepal  and  upon  the  moun- 
tains of  Bhootan,  Sikkim  and  Thibet. 

The  writer  and  his  son,  Harry,  a  lad  of  thir- 
teen, wished  to  visit  Nepal,  a  country  prob- 
ably unknown  to  most  readers.  It  embraces 


12  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

a  stretch  of  territory  500  miles  long  by  150 
wide,  named  after  the  defunct  and  venerated 
Hindoo  Saint  the  ascetic  Ne. 

It  starts  from  the  Terai  (a  low,  flat,  heavily 
timbered  land  that  skirts  the  base  of  the 
Himalayas,  teeming  with  wild  beasts,  and  as 
hot  as  it  is  malarious),  extends  upwards  over 
the  Himalayan  ranges  in  front,  and  stretches 
onward  till  stopped  by  such  hoary  sentinels 
of  the  north  as  Mts.  Everest,  Yassa  and 
Diwalgiri.  Such  is  the  situation  of  Nepal, 
embracing  all  the  climates  of  the  world,  but 
averse  to  include  in  this  embrace  any  foreigner 
like  the  European,  against  whom  particularly 
it  fosters  a  jealous  antipathy. 

How  then  were  we  to  enter  Nepal?  It  is 
true  we  could  walk  out  of  our  Darjeeling 
house  in  a  westerly  direction  along  a  moss- 
carpeted,  tree-lined  road,  skirting  precipices 
overlooking  tea  planters'  cottages,  and  their 
tea  gardens,  and  in  four  or  five  hours  come 
upon  certain  white  masonry  pillars  that  mark 
the  line  between  British  and  Nepalese  terri- 
tory. Passing  these  we  should  be  on  Nepal- 
ese soil;  but  this  is  not  what  we  meant  by 
visiting  Nepal. 


KINCHENJUNGA — 28,156    FT. 
(Through  Storm  Clouds  from  Darjeeling.) 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  13 

We  use  the  word  Nepal  here  in  the  sense  the 
native  does.  When  he  speaks  of  going  to 
Nepal,  or  coming  from  there,  he  means  Khat- 
mandu,  the  capital  of  the  Gurkha  dynasty,  in 
Lat.  27°  42'  N.  and  Long.  85°  36'  E. ;  fully 
26  days'  march  by  slow  difficult  stages  from 
Darjeeling. 

This  route,  however,  was  quite  out  of  the 
question,  as  no  European  is  permitted  to  enter 
from  this  direction.  Aware  of  this  we  applied 
first  to  the  British  Resident  for  the  requisite 
pass.  This  official  is  a  sort  of  consular  officer 
appointed  by  the  British  Government  to  rep- 
resent it  at  Khatmandu.  He  promptly  replied, 
discouraging  our  coming,  but  offering  to  send 
a  permit  if  we  persisted  in  our  wishes.  We 
wrote  again  and  got  the  necessary  document 
both  in  the  English  and  vernacular,  giving  us 
the  desired  permission,  although  the  Resident 
again  strongly  discouraged  our  coming,  repre- 
senting it  to  be  a  very  difficult  undertaking, 
and  urging  us  to  give  up  the  adventurous 
project.  This  we  did  not  feel  inclined  to  do, 
even  though  the  route  detailed  to  us  was 
in  confirmation  of  the  old  adage  that  "the 
longest  way  around  is  the  shortest  way  home." 


14  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 


CHAPTER  II. 

FROM   DARJEELING   TO   SEGOWLI. 

Accordingly,  one  sharp  frosty  morning,  with 
Kinchenjunga  reflecting  the  beams  of  a  bril- 
liant sun,  we  took  seats  on  board  a  miniature 
train  on  a  two-foot  gauge  railway— a  twelve- 
ton  engine  attached  to  a  dozen  trolleys  or 
hand-cars — and  after  passing  down  gradients 
of  i  foot  in  28,  into  loops,  figure  8's,  zigzags 
and  curves  (the  sharpest  being  of  70  feet 
radius),  over  foaming  torrents,  and  through 
moss-festooned  forests,  all  along  catching  most 
magnificent  panoramic  glimpses,  we  had  de- 
scended by  evening  some  7,000  feet  in  48 
miles,  and  reached  the  dead  level  of  the  Gan- 
getic  plain. 

Here  we  boarded  something  more  like  a 
railway  train,  and  reached  Calcutta  by  noon 
the  following  day. 

A  simple  reference  to  the  map  will  show 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  15 

that  this  was  going  right  away  from  Nepal, 
but  combining,  as  it  did,  railway  facilities 
with  the  most  feasible  route  over  the  Himalaya 
ranges,  it  was  our  best  and  quickest  way.  In 
Calcutta  we  laid  in  a  stock  of  provisions  put 
up  in  tin,  such  as  biscuits,  butter,  jams  and 
meats,  and,  under  this  last  named  head,  the 
pressed  corn  beef  of  Chicago  or  St.  Louis 
deserves  to  be  recommended  as  par  excellence, 
the  best  for  a  rough  jungle  life.  Besides,  we 
provided  ourselves  with  a  set  of  cooking 
utensils  of  light  block-tin  ware,  and  also  a  few 
dishes,  and  engaged  a  Nepalese  servant  for 
cooking  and  general  usefulness,  although  it 
would  have  been  difficult  to  find  a  man  who 
would  have  better  filled  the  bill  for  sloven- 
liness, shirking  his  work,  and  general  in- 
efficiency. 

The  last  night  of  October  found  us  well 
loaded  down  in  a  ticca-gharry — the  wretched 
but  useful  public  horse  conveyance  of  Cal- 
cutta. We  drove  through  the  city  down  to 
the  river  Hugli*  and  across  the  much-used 

*  The  lower  portion  of  the  river  Ganges  and  its  main  outlet  into  the  Bay  of 
Bengal  is  called  the  Hugli,  often  spelled  Hoogly. 


16  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 


floating  bridge,  the  only  one  this  proud  me- 
tropolis can  boast  of  at  present,  over  this 
sacred  branch  of  the  Ganges.  On  the  other 
side  was  the  Howrah  Railway  Station,  a  very 
poor  building  that  serves  as  the  terminus  of 
such  an  important  artery  as  the  East  India 
Railway,  owned  and  operated  by  the  Govern- 
ment of  India. 

The  usual  buying  of  tickets,  weighing  and 
paying  for  luggage — an  extortionate  form  of 
business — and  getting  it  properly  labelled, 
being  safely  concluded,  during  which  red-tape 
process,  the  "booking-clerk,"  a  West  Indian 
of  the  color  of  midnight,  had  the  satisfaction  of 
informing  me  that  he  bore  the  same  unusual 
name  as  mine,  and  therefore  must  be  related 
to  me.  All  this  and  the  paying  off  of  coolies 
having  been  successfully  accomplished,  with 
my  son  and  servant  I  got  comfortably 
arranged  for  the  night,  when  the  train  started 
punctually  at  nine  o'clock,  averaging  a  speed 
of  thirty  miles  an  hour  including  stoppages. 

At  seven  o'clock  the  next  morning  we 
steamed  into  the  station  of  Mokameh,  some 
300  miles  from  Calcutta,  and  changed  from 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  17 

the  standard  broad-gauge  railway  to  the 
narrower  one  of  the  Tirhoot  State  Railway; 
though,  as  a  preliminary,  we  had  to  cross  the 
Ganges,  by  a  well  appointed  steam  ferry- 
rather  an  awkward  operation  if  undertaken  in 
a  dark,  rainy  night  when  the  precipitous  char- 
acter of  the  muddy  bank  is  taken  into  account. 

All  day  we  travelled  at  the  modest  speed  of 
13  miles  an  hour,  due  north,  through  a  most 
fertile,  well-populated  country,  flat  as  a  billiard 
table,  and  through  a  district  which  has  long 
been  noted  for  its  indigo  plantations,  owned 
and  managed  by  some  of  England's  best 
blood ;  sons  of  gentlemen  and  retired  officials 
about  whom  it  can  certainly  be  said  from  our 
own  experience,  that  their  hospitality  is  most 
generously  dispensed  to  any  white  man  travel- 
ling in  their  midst. 

At  6  P.  M.  wear>r  and  travel-stained  we 
arrived  at  the  little  station  of  Segowli,  sit- 
uated in  the  territory  of  the  Maharaja  of 
Bettiah.  Here  we  were  bundled  out  hastily 
bag  and  baggage  upon  the  platform,  the  train 
being  behind  time  and  only  a  minute  allowed 
for  stopping. 


18  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

We  rubbed  our  eyes,  counted  our  packages, 
about  twenty  large  and  small,  managed  to  get 
a  sufficient  number  of  coolies  together  to 
carry  them,  and  trudged  along  for  more  than 
a  mile  in  the  dark  to  a  "  Travellers'  Bun- 
galow," or  rest-house,  belonging  especially  to 
the  engineering  department,  who  had  charge 
of  that  section  of  the  great  macadam  road 
built  through  Tirhoot. 

The  Bungalow,  on  being  opened  by  the 
man  in  charge,  we  found  to  contain  some 
chairs,  a  table  or  two,  and  above  all  a  couple 
of  easy  beds.  These  last  we  eyed  with  no 
small  degree  of  comfort  and  immediately  pa- 
tronized, hardly  allowing  time  for  ourselves 
to  dispatch  a  simple  supper  hurriedly  pre- 
pared by  our  Nepalese  servant. 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  19 


CHAPTER  III. 

TROUBLE   IN   SECURING   COOLIES. 

We  rose  the  next  morning',  but  somewhat 
after  the  sun,  and  at  once  set  to  work  to  make 
arrangements  (the  expressive  native  term 
"  bundobust "  well  describes  this)  for  the 
transport  of  ourselves  and  effects  over  the 
96  miles  that  lay  between  us  and  the  Nepal 
capital  Khatmandu,  or  at  least  that  first 
portion  of  it  traversed  by  a  cart  road. 

We  began  by  trying  to  procure  coolies  who 
would  march  clear  through  at  the  Government 
stipulated  rate  of  four  and  one  quarter  rupees, 
or  about  seven  shillings  each  man ;  but  this 
attempt  failed,  as  only  half  a  dozen  coolies 
were  available.  We  then,  after  much  trouble 
and  delay,  managed  to  secure  a  bullock  cart, 
the  ordinary  common  conveyance  of  India  on 
two  wheels  and  drawn  by  a  couple  of  bul- 
locks. Upon  this  we  loaded  our  luggage 


20  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 

and  in  the  evening  sent  it  ahead  by  our 
Nepalese  servant. 

For  ourselves  we  planned  to  hire  two 
ponies,  as  we  had  brought  saddles,  but  no 
ponies  were  to  be  had.  Then  we  thought 
of  walking  rather  than  be  delayed  another 
day.  However,  at  the  last  moment,  an  ekka 
was  procured  for  us,  the  driver  of  which 
bound  himself  by  agreement  (and  confirmed 
the  same  according  to  native  custom  by 
taking  an  advance  of  two  rupees)  to  carry 
us  to  Bechiakoh,  forty  miles  distant,  where 
the  road-way  terminates. 

I  must  explain  to  some  of  my  readers  that 
an  ekka  is  a  small  two-wheeled,  springless 
conveyance  with  a  sort  of  bell-shaped  top 
to  screen  its  occupants  from  the  sun,  drawn 
by  a  single  pony,  fastened  within  a  pair  of 
bow-shaped  shafts,  resting  on  a  high  padded 
wood  saddle  bound  on  his  back,  the  whole  rig 
being  dubbed  by  many  a  "  Jingling  Johnny." 

The  vehicle  can  accomodate  fairly  one 
passenger,  besides  the  driver  who  straddles 
the  shafts,  seated  a-la-Turk,  with  a  few  bits 
of  baggage  stowed  away  in  a  sort  of  cage 
or  netting  about  the  axle. 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  21 

This  gig  or  "  rig  "  is  very  common  through- 
out northern  India,  and  drawn  as  it  is  by  a 
single  hardy  brute  of  a  pony,  one  can  travel 
by  it  at  a  dog-trot  all  day  long,  making  often 
astonishing  distances  in  a  few  hours.  The 
writer  has  been  carried  60  miles  in  an  ekka 
drawn  by  the  same  animal  between  sunrise 
and  sunset,  and  he  has  known  of  one  making 
1 50  miles  inside  of  two  consecutive  days. 

Night  having  now  set  in  (with  occasional 
dashes  of  rain  to  aggravate  our  situation)  the 
owner  of  the  ekka  proposed  that  he  be  allowed 
to  go  to  his  house  near  by  so  as  to  feed  his 
pony  well,  promising  that  he  would  be  back 
again  soon,  ready  to  start  anytime  after  mid- 
night. We  fell  in  with  this  plan  as  it  ad- 
mitted of  our  indulging  in  a  little  .sleep 
and  getting  some  rest  before  starting,  after 
the  strain  of  the  previous  day. 

For  some  reason  the  pony  and  his  driver 
did  not  appear  until  towards  morning,  and  we 
too  were  loath  to  rise  and  face  the  untried 
day.  However,  by  4  A.  M.  Harry  and  I  were 
up,  when  it  was  the  work  of  a  few  minutes 
only  to  arrange  ourselves  in  the  ekka  and 
be  off. 


22  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 


Our  progress  at  first  was  very  slow  and 
painful,  as  it  was  still  dark  and  the  road  very 
rough,  cut  into  deep  ruts  and  pitfalls,  that 
were  regular  bone  breakers — the  results  of 
the  now  closing  monsoon — while  a  heavy  fog- 
enveloped  everything,  rendering-  the  night  air 
chilly  and  penetrating. 

With  the  dawning  of  the  day  we  got  along 
better,  and  by  8  o'clock  had  made  about 
twelve  miles.  Here  at  the  little  village  of 
Rugganathpore  we  procured  some  rich  buf- 
faloes' milk,  and  with  the  help  of  a  tin  of 
biscuits  made  out  a  very  fair  "  chota-hazri," 
or  the  simple  early  morning  repast  of  "  tea  and 
toast "  common  in  the  east. 

We  caught  up  with  our  bullock  cart  and 
servant  at  this  place,  though  they  had  the 
start  of  one  night  before  us.  Such  slow  prog- 
ress was  not  much  to  their  credit,  and  we 
accused  them  of  having  halted  during  the 
night  somewhere.  This  of  course  they  denied. 
As  our  pony  had  shown  signs  of  giving  out,  I 
told  the  driver  that  he  must  not  take  him 
on  any  further,  but  must  get  another  in  his 
place. 


ON  INDIA'S  FRONTIER. 


At  first  he  refused  to  comply,  but  I  insisted 
and  finally  lie  made  a  change  by  getting 
another  pony  from  an  acquaintance  in  the 
village.  I  had  some  reason  to  be  sorry  for 
having  interfered  at  all  in  the  matter,  for  the 
new  brute  turned  out  to  be  a  wretched  affair, 
and  would  in  any  museum  have  required  a 
label  to  denote  his  species. 

We  made  this  a  pretext  for  asking  the 
driver  to  run  beside  the  ekka  and  not  sit  in  it. 
This  gave  us  more  room,  and  lightened  our 
load  by  half,  for  the  man  was  a  large  heavily 
built  fellow,  weighing  as  much  as  both  of 
us  together. 


24  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

DESERTED   BY   HORSEMAN   AND   CARTDRIVER. 

With  the  driver  running  alongside  for  some 
six  miles  we  reached  Ruksoul,  the  end  of 
British  territory  and  beginning  of  Nepal — the 
boundary  line  being  a  small  treacherous  look- 
ing stream  with  precipitous  muddy  banks  and 
bad  crossing.  We  found  it  readily  fordable, 
but  in  the  monsoon  it  must  prove  dangerous 
to  travellers,  if  not  positively  impassable — a 
place  above  all  others  for  a  bridge,  which  need 
not  be  an  expensive  affair  either,  judging 
from  the  logs  lying  about,  brought  from 
the  neighboring  forests  of  the  Terai,  that  so- 
called  extensive  wooded  belt  of  land  already 
alluded  to  as  skirting  the  base  of  the  Himalaya 
mountains. 

All  along  the  way  thus  far  we  had  been 
straining  our  eyes  to  catch  a  glimpse  of 
the  famous  towering  ranges  of  Nepal  often 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  25 

plainly  seen  from  Segowli,  but  there  was 
nothing  now  visible  save  one  monotonous 
stretch  of  dead  level  land,  covered  with  newly 
sown  crops  of  rice,  wheat  and  pulse.  Still  we 
knew  that  the  mountains  were  near,  and  that 
we  could  have  seen  them  but  for  the  murky 
atmosphere. 

The  noonday  sun  began  now  to  beat  down 
fiercely,  causing  intense  radiation  and  dis- 
torting objects  all  along  the  line  of  vision, 
while  the  heat  itself  was  almost  prostrating. 
Suddenly  our  bad  road  grew  worse  and  soon 
became  no  road  at  all. 

This  gave  a  pretext  to  the  driver  to  declare 
that  both  he  and  his  pony  were  thoroughly 
exhausted,  and  that  to  go  on  was  out  of  the 
question.  Of  course  we  would  not  allow  for 
a  moment  any  such  complete  giving  out,  par- 
ticularly as  we  had  ourselves  taken  to  our  legs 
with  the  determination  of  doing  our  utmost 
to  reach  Persowny  for  the  night.  I  must 
confess  that  it  did  seem  as  though  we  should 
never  reach  this  town,  as  we  trudged  on  past 
fields,  mango  groves,  and  villages,  although  it 
is  reckoned  only  twenty-six  miles  from  our 
early  morning  starting  point  of  Segowli. 


26  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

At  length  by  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  we 
were  rewarded  by  the  sight  of  the  mud  walls 
and  houses  of  the  town  which  proved  to  be  a 
good-sized  place,  and  was  holding  at  the  time 
one  of  those  large,  well  attended  weekly 
bazars  so  common  in  India. 

After  much  questioning,  searching  and  a 
trial  of  patience,  we  secured  shelter  in  the 
large  garden  of  a  Guruji  (Hindoo  Priest), 
under  cover  of  a  thatched  roof  open  on  all 
four  sides. 

At  first  we  were  beset  by  a  very  inquisitive 
crowd,  but  with  management  we  got  rid  of 
them  without  hurting  anybody's  feelings,  and 
I  must  say  that  we  secured  every  attention 
from  the  persons  in  charge  of  the  garden, 
one  of  whom  was  a  Brahmin  who  thought  he 
spoke  good  English,  and  offered  his  services 
as  guide  for  our  journey,  which  services,  how- 
ever, we  respectfully  declined.  He  got  us  a 
"  healthy  chicken,"  his  way  of  describing  one 
in  good  condition,  and  some  "  wealthy  milk!" 

A  couple  of  hours  after  our  arrival  our  cart 
came  along,  and  we  were  glad  to  get  out  our 
things  so  as  to  make  ourselves  comfortable, 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  27 


and  set  our  man  to  cooking  a  breakfast,  din- 
ner and  supper  all  in  one. 

The  ekkawalla — our  driver — now  presented 
himself  and  declared  he  would  not  go  on  any 
further,  and  asked  to  be  paid  off.  We  re- 
minded him  of  his  agreement  and  asked  how 
he  supposed  we  were  going  to  manage  if  he 
left.  This  did  not  concern  him,  but  return  he 
must,  as  the  road  was  simply  impassable, 
endangering  his  ekka  and  pony,  with  a  lot  of 
more  nonsense  to  the  same  effect.  Then  too 
he  wanted  more  money  which  was  really  the 
secret  of  his  aversion  to  proceeding. 

I  had,  however,  already  over-paid  him  and 
positively  declined  to  let  him  have  any  more, 
or  give  my  consent  to  his  returning.  He  then 
assumed  an  impertinent  tone  and  began  talk- 
ing insolently,  threatening  to  leave  anyway. 
He  also  got  hold  of  the  cart  man  and  incited 
him  to  demanding  his  discharge  and  the  less 
notice  we  took  of  him  or  his  threats,  the  more 
boisterous  and  offensive  he  became,  thinking 
that  now,  as  we  were  hard  pressed,  he  could 
force  us  to  submit  to  all  of  his  extortionate 
demands. 


28  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 


For  a  native  I  am  bound  to  say  he  was  an 
exceptionably  "  bad  lot,"  just  the  kind  that 
now-a-days  hang  about  the  centres  of  Euro- 
pean travel,  where  alone  they  seem  to  thrive, 
fattening  on  the  white  man's  weaknesses ; 
encouraged  if  not  actually  protected  in  their 
nefarious  practices  all  over  British  territory 
by  a  large  class  of  magistrates  and  the  laws 
in  which  they  are  steeped,  although  I  am 
more  disposed  to  find  fault  with  the  latter  than 
the  former. 

What  the  man  really  deserved  was  a  good 
horse-whipping  (it  would  have  converted  him 
as  no  court  proceeding  could)  and  had  he  still 
persisted,  our  feeling  of  silent  contempt  for 
the  wretch  might  have  given  place  to  some 
decisive  and  more  effective  action.  However, 
just  at  this  moment  our  servant  announced 
that  the  soup,  nice  chicken  curry,  etc.,  were 
ready  ;  and  being  famished,  no  distraction  or 
insolence,  not  even  the  gaping  inquisitiveness 
of  a  few  uninvited  onlookers  could  keep  us 
from  first  satisfying  the  demands  of  hunger. 

This  proved  a  good  opportunity  for  the 
ekka  driver  and  cartman  to  slip  away  quietly 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  29 


with  all  their  belongings,  leaving  us  to  make 
shift  as  best  we  could.  Such  a  predicament 
was  hardly  a  desirable  situation,  but  after  all 
it  was  hardly  unexpected,  for  one  who  would 
travel  in  India  successfully  must  not  be  sur- 
prised at,  or  unprepared  for,  the  worst 
exhibitions  of  human  character  and  cunning. 
Having  already  had  many  years  of  this 
edifying  process  of  schooling,  we  accepted  our 
situation  as  a  matter  of  course  and  laid  our- 
selves down  to  undisturbed  sleep,  the  last 
thing  I  was  conscious  of  being  the  gradual 
fading  away  of  the  brilliant  constellations, 
Orion  and  the  Great  Bear,  as  their  twinkling 
rays  struggled  through  our  drowsy  eyelids 
and  invited  us  to  sounder  slumber,  all  the 
while  caring  naught  for  pariah  dogs  that 
snapped  and  snarled  over  the  fragments  of 
our  supper  almost  within  reach  of  my  feet, 
nor  for  jackal  scavengers  that  screeched  and 
hooted  at  their  lagging  companions  in  the 
adjoining  hedges. 


30  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    TERAI    FOREST. 

The  morning  sun  well  up  above  the  horizon 
was  the  first  to  rouse  us,  shining  full  in  our 
faces,  and  bidding  us  be  up  and  off.  But 
how  were  we  to  go  without  even  a  cart  to 
carry  our  luggage  ?  The  town  was  at  once 
ransacked  for  some  sort  of  conveyance,  and 
by  offering  prepayment  of  the  entire  sum 
asked,  not  a  wise  course  to  adopt  ordinarily, 
but  now  absolutely  necessary,  especially  as 
the  price  asked  was  not  exorbitant,  we  secured 
a  bullock  cart  for  our  effects. 

While  this  was  being  loaded  the  favorable 
report  got  about  of  our  being  good  payers. 
At  once  two  ponies  were  brought  for  us  to 
ride.  We  hardly  expected  this,  having  made 
up  our  minds  that  we  were  to  walk  the  rest  of 
the  way,  a  course  much  to  be  preferred  to 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  31 


riding  the  wretched  animals  one  usually  finds 
for  hire  on  such  an  out-of-the-way  journey. 

The  weather,  however,  was  abnormally  warm 
for  the  season  of  the  year,  making  any  special 
physical  effort  more  of  a  task  than  a  pleasure ; 
so  we  were  not  loath  to  put  on  the  saddles, 
mount  the  fragile  creatures  and  accompany 
the  cart. 

There  was  no  danger  of  our  getting  ahead 
(we  tried  and  failed)  for  these  four-footed 
specimens  did  not.  know  any  gait  beyond  a 
walk.  But  we  found  one  thing  to  console  us 
in  our  slow  progress ;  as  soon  as  we  got  clear 
of  the  outskirts  of  Persowny  and  its  surround- 
ing clumps  of  bamboo,  tamarind  and  mango 
trees,  a  magnificent  stretch  of  forest-covered 
mountains  burst  upon  our  sight. 

The  scene  was  charming  and  a  great  relief 
to  the  monotonous,  flat,  highly  cultivated  plain 
we  had  been  traversing  almost  the  whole 
way  from  Calcutta,  and  which  within  a  dis- 
tance of  eight  miles  as  we  looked  ahead, 
seemed  to  be  brought  to  a  very  abmpt  ter- 
mination in  a  dark,  deep,  well-defined  border 
running  east  and  west,  extending  beyond  all 


32  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

possible  range  of  sight,  apparently  thrown 
around  this  monstrous  growth  of  a  plain  to 
stop  its  repacious  greed. 

This  border  consisted  of  a  wild,  malarious 
uninhabited  jungle  called  the  Terai  forest 
proper,  some  ten  miles  wide,  opposite  the 
point  where  we  were  to  enter  it,  and  extending 
over  a  thousand  miles,  right  across  the  whole 
of  upper  India,  and  as  if  such  a  belt  should 
not  prove  a  sufficient  barrier  to  check  the  en- 
croachment of  the  plain,  there  arose  on  the 
outer  side  of  the  belt,  quite  as  abruptly  as  the 
latter  did  out  of  the  plain  itself,  range  upon 
range  and  tier  after  tier  of  the  most  stupen- 
dous chain  of  mountains,  each  overtopping 
the  other,  till  they  ended  in  the  eternal  snows 
and  the  everlasting  blue  of  heaven. 

Wrapt  in  admiration  of  this  enchanting 
prospect  we  gave  no  further  thought  to  our 
slow  progress,  or  to  the  snail's  pace  at  which 
our  wretched  ponies  crept  along  with  us. 

By  one  o'clock,  under  a  blistering  sun,  we 
reached  the  Powah  or  Rest-house,  something 
like  a  Persian  Caravansery,  of  the  dirty  little 
village  of  Semrabassa,  where  we  put  up  in 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  33 

the  open  veranda,  it  being  the  cleanest 
place. 

We  had  traveled  only  ten  miles  since  morn- 
ing and  would  have  liked  to  have  had  a  much 
greater  advance  to  show  for  our  day's  march. 
We  had  come  right  up  to  the  edge  of  the 
Terai  forest,  which  like  a  dark,  ill-omened  bar- 
rier, sharply  silhouetted  against  the  mountain 
background,  stretched  directly  across  our 
pathway,  and  from  one  horizon  to  another. 
We  were,  however,  strongly  advised  not  to  at- 
tempt penetrating  its  forbidding-looking  gloom 
and  its  weird  shadows  that  afternoon. 

So,  with  no  alternative  but  to  acquiesce  in  our 
situation,  we  set  about  making  ourselves  as 
comfortable  as  possible,  and  had  the  benefit  of 
watching  our  servant  prepare  our  dinner — a 
very  unwise  thing  to  do,  and  which  certainly 
did  not  tend  to  give  us  an  increased  relish  for 
our  food. 

By  dark,  dinner  being  over,  we  were  ready 
to  retire,  but  little  sleep  could  we  get,  as  the 
night  was  Dewali — corresponding  to  the 
DurgaPuja  in  Bengal — or  the  Hindoo  Festival 
of  Lights,  with  the  worship  and  adulation  of 


34  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 


Mammon  for  its  aim  and  end,  and  dedicated 
to  Lukshimi  (the  Goddess  of  wealth.) 

Groups  of  drunken,  highly  excited  Nepalese 
formed  here  and  there  about  us,  and  among 
the  neighboring  houses,  shouting  at  the  top 
of  their  voices,  and  gambling,  a  pastime  we 
were  told  not  allowed  even  in  Nepal  terri- 
tory, except  during  the  festival  of  Dewali. 

At  times  it  seemed  as  though  we  had  fallen 
into  a  crowd  of  madmen,  whose  uproar  was 
greatly  aggravated  by  the  unusual  excitement 
of  the  village  dogs  as  they  barked  and  howled 
at  their  drunken  masters. 

Long  before  dawn  the  next  morning  we 
were  only  too  glad  to  get  away.  We  plunged 
at  once  into  the  heavy  jungle,  which  at  that 
dark,  early  hour  presented  a  very  uninviting 
appearance,  with  the  branches  wet  and  drip- 
ping in  consequence  of  the  heavy  mist,  and 
the  invisible  depths  harboring,  as  is  well 
known,  every  denizen  of  the  forest  from  the 
ponderous  elephant  and  treacherous  tiger  to 
the  poisonous  snake  and  venomous  scorpion. 

By  sun-rise  we  had  made  five  miles  and 
passed  the  Adhabhar,  or  half-way  house,  a 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  35 

solitary  wooden  and  masonry  structure  built 
to  shelter  travellers. 

Alongside  were  one  or  two  thatched  huts 
with  a  ruined  stone  tank  close  by  The  road 
for  most  of  the  way  lay  along  the  rough, 
rocky,  dry  bed  of  a  monsoon  stream,  and  was 
so  straight  in  some  places  that  one  could  look 
ahead  for  a  mile  or  more,  the  tall  trees  on 
either  side  making  a  perfect  avenue,  as  though 
cut  out  and  trimmed  to  form  the  entrance  into 
an  immense  park,  while  in  the  distant  per- 
spective their  branches  and  trunks  apparently 
came  together  and  closed  up  the  road. 

These  trees,  straight  as  an  arrow  and  shoot- 
ing up  60  to  100  feet,  are  largely  "sal"  (Shorea 
robusta),  a  most  enduring,  substantial  wood, 
superior  to  the  famous  Burmah  teak  for  most 
building  purposes.  By  reason  of  their  great 
value  they  form  the  source  of  a  very  large  in- 
come to  the  Nepal  Government. 


36  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
WE   ENTER   THE   HIMALAYAS. 

By  9  o'clock  we  came  to  an  abrupt  termina- 
tion of  the  immense  forest  belt  of  the  Terai, 
and  to  an  equally  sudden  termination  of  the 
dead  level  of  the  plain ;  for  the  hills  and  their 
rising  spurs  began  to  show  above  the  forest 
tops  just  as  we  had  ascended  the  first  little 
rise  in  the  ground. 

Immediately  in  front  of  us  was  the  small 
village  of  Bechakho  with  a  very  large,  well- 
built  Powah  on  a  high  bank  overlooking  the 
wide  pebbly  bed  of  what  must  be  in  the  rainy 
season  a  considerable  river,  but  which  at  that 
time  contained  only  a  narrow  stream  of  water 
as  clear  as  crystal. 

The  whole  aspect  of  the  country  was  now 
changed  as  if  by  magic.  Mountains  towered 
before  us,  steep  conical  hills  clothed  in  pines 
(Pinus  Kasya)  were  all  about  us.  The  wretched 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  37 


cart  track,  too,  had  come  to  an  end,  and  our 
cartman  and  the  owner  of  the  two  ponies  were 
dismissed  with  buksheesh.  We  now  looked 
about  for  coolies.  The  few  insignificant  huts 
that  composed  the  village  did  not  give  much 
promise  of  help. 

It  is  at  such  times  that  we  have  wondered 
what  the  boastful  Anglo-Indian  official  would 
do  to  extricate  himself,  propped  up  as  he  now 
is  by  every  conceivable  help,  and  backed  by 
the  strong  arm  of  a  powerful  Government, 
which  goes  before  him  a  protecting  cloud  by 
day  and  a  providing  pillar  of  fire  by  night. 
Whole  towns  and  States  are  made  to  dance 
attendance  upon  him  and  his  minutest  wants 
are  anticipated.  What  wonder  then  that  he 
can  travel,  and  yet  he  often  makes  most 
wretched  work  of  it.  It  is  stated  that  the 
British  boundary  commission  which  had  been 
arranging  the  lines  of  demarcation  with  the 
Russians  to  limit  their  further  encroachment 
upon  Afghanistan  and  to  prevent  their  nearer 
approach  to  India  was  supplied  with  such 
an  extravagant  amount  of  provisions,  in- 
cluding champagne  and  other  wines,  to- 


38  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 


gether  with  such  a  lavish  camp  outfit  and 
attendants  as  in  any  other  nation  would 
have  been  sufficient  in  outlay  to  maintain 
a  good- sized  army  on  the  war  path  during  the 
same  period  of  time.  Some  estimate  may  be 
made  of  the  "  get-up "  of  this  Commission 
when  it  is  known  that  its  chief,  Sir  Peter 
Lumsden,  drew  a  monthly  allowance  of  41,000 
rupees,  (about  .£3,000  or  $15,000!)  The  army 
impedimenta — a  result  of  the  excessive  outlay 
of  this  expedition — caused  great  delay  and 
difficulty  in  transport. 

But  to  return  to  Bechakho — we  resigned 
oursevles  as  composedly  as  possible  to  our  situ- 
ation, and  succeeded  in  getting  some  milk, 
eggs  and  fowls  from  the  village.  After  finish- 
ing a  late  breakfast,  we  strolled  about  and  got 
into  conversation  with  a  buffalo  herdsman,  the 
owner  of  a  large  drove  of  milch  buffaloes,  who 
seemed  to  be  in  very  good  circumstances. 

We  asked  him  what  he  did  with  so  much 
milk  in  the  jungle,  so  far  away  from  any  large 
market.  He  replied  that  his  people  boiled  the 
milk  and  made  ghee  or  native  butter,  which 
they  accumulated  until  there  was  enough  to 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  39 

make  it  worth  their  while  for  one  or  more  of 
his  men  to  trudge  a  long  distance  to  the  most 
promising  market.  He  complained,  however, 
that  there  was  great  anxiety,  exposure  and 
risk  in  his  business  from  the  number  of  wild 
beasts  prowling  about,  and  he  informed  us  that 
only  a  few  days  previous  a  tiger  had  killed  a 
fine  buffalo  calf  in  one  direction  and  a  valuable 
buffalo  cow  in  another,  all  within  a  mile  of  the 
place  where  we  were.  He  wished  we  would 
go  after  these  tigers,  he  would  go  along  and 
help  us ;  at  the  same  time  he  remarked  that 
there  was  no  use  in  trying  to  hunt  such  sneaks 
without  elephants,  the  grass  in  the  jungles 
being  eight  and  ten  feet  high,  rendering  all 
shooting  impossible  if  not  absolutely  danger- 
ous. 

After  wandering  about  for  some  time,  we 
came  upon  an  active,  officious  looking  little 
fellow,  who  said  he  belonged  to  the  set  of  post 
carriers,  or  "dak  runners"  as  they  are  called, 
who  are  stationed  every  six  miles  all  the  way 
to  Khatmandu  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  the 
daily  mail-bag  from  Segowli,  on  the  arrival 
there  of  the  train.  These  runners  do  the 


40  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 


distance  of  96  miles  in  fair  weather  in  a 
little  over  twenty-six  hours,  each  runner 
going  at  a  dog  trot  over  his  beat  of  six 
miles  and  then  delivering  the  letter  bag  to- 
gether with  a  little  tin  box  (which  we  after- 
wards learned  contained  the  Resident's  bread) 
to  the  next  runner.  This  lithe,  active  indi- 
vidual, with  the  hope  of  reward,  at  once 
interested  himself  in  our  behalf,  and  to  our 
great  surprise,  within  an  hour  or  two,  had 
a  motley  collection  of  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren gathered  in  front  of  us,  among  whom 
our  bags,  bedding  and  bundles  were  properly 
distributed,  when  we  again  took  up  the  line 
of  march  as  though  nothing  had  happened 
and  plunged  into  a  most  picturesque  wild 
gorge  full  of  chattering  monkeys  and  green 
pigeons. 

Our  swarthy  little  champion,  not  liking  the 
idea  of  our  walking,  had  procured  two  miser- 
able apologies  of  ponies,  which  we  were  per- 
suaded to  try  to  ride,  but  we  found  walking 
easier  and  dismissed  the  scarecrows ;  and 
salaming  our  estimable  helper  in  a  way  he 
appreciated  as  fully  as  we  had  esteemed  his 


COOLIE    GIRLS    AND    THEIR    BASKETS. 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  41 

services,  we  hastened  on  after  our  motley 
caravan.  The  walking  was  most  tedious  and 
difficult  as  we  picked  our  way  past  boulders, 
over  rocks  and  through  yielding,  rough  sand ; 
and  unless  we  constantly  noted  every  foot- 
step, which  obliged  us  to  give  up  gazing  on 
the  beauty  of  the  scenery  on  every  hand,  we 
were  sure  to  stub  our  toes  or  take  a  header 
into  some  uncompromising  fact  in  front  of  us. 

For  the  first  few  miles  we  had  to  thread  our 
way  up  along  the  dry  portion  of  the  bed  of  the 
stream  already  referred  to  as  passing  by  Be- 
chakho,  whose  water  made  such  a  noise  rush- 
ing over  the  stones  and  reverberating  among 
the  towering  cliffs,  that  it  drowned  all  sounds 
in  its  deafening  uproar  and  made  talking  too 
laborious,  if  not  quite  impossible. 

As  evening  began  to  approach,  the  sun 
tints  on  the  mountain  tops  and  the  deepen- 
ing shadows  below  completely  exhausted  all 
powers  of  admiration. 

We  passed  a  large  caravan  of  bullocks 
laden,  some  with  betel  nuts,  others  with 
sheets  of  copper,  and  others  still  with  bales 
of  cloth,  their  owners  having  stopped  to  pre- 


42  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 


pare  their  encampment  for  the  night  beside 
a  group  of  pine  trees,  as  they  dared  not  pro- 
ceed further  for  fear  of  darkness  setting  in. 
They  advised  us  also  to  halt  but  we  wished 
to  make  all  the  progress  possible  and  so 
pushed  on ;  in  fact  while  talking  with  the 
bullock  drivers  our  servant  and  some  of  the 
coolies  had  already  passed  us,  so  we  hastened 
our  steps  hoping  to  overtake  them. 

Of  course  we  met  no  one,  nor  were  there  any 
settlements  along  our  route,  so  we  marched 
on  in  silence  until  darkness  settled  down 
upon  us  in  earnest.  Walking  now  took  more 
the  form  of  groping,  and  the  repeated  stumb. 
lings,  bumps  and  raps  we  got  made  our  grad- 
ual progress  upwards  very  slow  and  difficult. 

Just  as  we  began  to  wonder  what  had  be- 
come of  our  servant  and  the  coolies  who  had 
preceded  us,  we  espied  a  light  ahead,  and  on 
coming  up  to  it  through  the  gloom,  found  it 
to  be  a  fire  built  by  our  servant,  who,  with  the 
coolies  had  become  quite  alarmed  in  the  dark- 
ness and  dared  not  go  any  further ;  so  they 
stopped  on  the  path  where  they  had  become 
benighted,  made  a  fire  and  huddled  about  it, 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  43 

determined  to  pass  the  night  just  where  they 
were.  There  was  no  use  in  complaining  that 
we  could  not  put  up  in  such  an  unlikely  feverish 
spot  without  the  least  shelter,  with  the  night 
wind  howling  through  the  gorge  as  if  moan- 
ing for  the  lost,  playing  a  requiem  of  its  own 
on  the  overhanging  pines,  set  to  the  tune  that 
is  sung  by  the  surges  of  a  distant  ocean  on  a 
storm  beaten  coast.  The  foaming  torrent  too, 
whose  rocky  bed  we  were  ascending,  chimed  in 
with  notes  in  keeping  with  its  hoarse  voice, 
so  that  picture  our  situation  as  best  one  might, 
it  was  decidedly  an  awkward  one.  We  ex- 
postulated writh  our  servant  but  he  declared 
with  feelings  akin  to  fear  that  there  was 
no  alternative,  as  the  nearest  place  with  any 
shelter  was  the  village  of  Hetowda  ten  miles 
distant,  and  that  it  was  quite  impossible  to 
reach  that  in  the  darkness. 

While  he  said  this,  crouched  up  beside  the 
fire,  he  turned  and  took  a  nervous  look  at  the 
surrounding  forest,  muttered  something  about 
his  "Kismet"  or  fate  that  had  brought  him 
into  such  a  fix,  and  warned  us  in  an  undertone 
not  even  to  suggest  making  a  further  move, 


44  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 


assuring  us  that  this  would  at  once  occasion 
a  general  stampede  back,  among  our  dozen 
coolies,  whose  staring  eyes  and  ivory  teeth 
were  the  only  distinguishable  objects  about 
as  they  glistened  in  the  reflected  fire-light, 
forming  a  weird  contrast  to  their  swarthy  ill 
clad  bodies  a  subject  worthy  of  the  pencil  of  a 
Dore. 

Seeing  there  was  no  way  but  to  submit  to 
our  enforced  situation,  we  ordered  our  bags 
to  be  unstrapped,  our  beds  to  be  unfolded, 
built  one  or  two  more  fires,  got  our  water  to 
boil,  drank  our  tea  without  milk  and  ate  our 
supper  with  thankfulness,  and  in  the  spirit 
of  contentment  laid  ourselves  down  on  our 
cots  (our  coolies  were  already  snoring  away, 
sprawled  out  upon  the  ground)  being  far  too 
tired  to  be  bothered  with  any  unpleasant 
reflections  suggested  by  our  exposed  situ- 
ation. 

We  soon  passed  into  the  land  of  rest  and 
fairy  dreams,  the  last  sensation  of  consciousness 
that  I  can  recall  being  the  sound  of  Harry's 
voice  (I  had  supposed  him  to  be  already 
asleep)  saying  with  a  yawn,  as  he  wrapped 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  45 

his  warm  covering  closer  about  him,  "  Do 
you  ever  think  when  putting  up  at  any  of 
our  fine  New  York  or  London  hotels,  with  gas 
and  electric  lights  turned  on,  of  such  first- 
class  accommodation  as  this  ? " 


46  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A   STARTLING   EXPERIENCE. 

We  were  up  the  next  morning-  by  dawn  that 
revealed  our  "  first-class  accommodation  "  to 
be  of  the  wildest  description  conceivable. 
What  most  concerned  us,  however,  was  to 
find  ourselves  none  the  worse  for  the  night's 
bivouac. 

We  started  but  had  hardly  gone  fifty  yards 
when  a  most  extraordinary  spectacle  greeted 
our  eyes  as  well  as  our  sense  of  smell.  There 
lay  before  us,  blocking  up  the  pathway,  the 
carcass  of  an  immense  elephant,  his  legs 
sticking  up  in  the  air  like  the  tall  stumps 
on  freshly  cleared  land,  while  his  body  and 
trunk  lay  stiffened  and  mortifying,  the  only 
mourner  being  a  large  carrion  vulture  (Gyps 
Bengalensis)  so  well  known  in  India  for  spy- 
ing a  dainty  funeral  miles  and  miles  away. 
There  he  sat  on  a  tall  commanding  pine,  the 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  47 

personification  of  hypochondria,  evidently 
ruminating  on  the  uncertainty  of  life,  and 
how  the  mighty  had  fallen. 

We  did  not  disturb  him  in  his  meditations 
but  left  him  to  the  diversion  of  his  gloomy 
thoughts. 

The  elephant  had  evidently  been  dead  only 
a  few  hours,  for  his  skin  was  quite  intact,  but 
decomposition  had  already  made  progress,  as 
was  evident  from  the  sound  of  the  seething 
gases  escaping  from  his  huge  body  just  as  if 
the  carcass  were  being  roasted  over  a  fire,  and 
also  from  the  offensive  odor,  which  luckily  for 
us  had  been  wafted  by  the  wind  away  from 
our  encampment  during  the  night ;  otherwise 
we  should  have  been  driven  from  the  spot, 
bag  and  baggage,  most  unceremoniously  by  a 
foe  of  which  none  of  us,  with  the  most  lively 
imagination,  had  the  faintest  conception.  I  am 
positive  had  a  live  elephant  come  crushing 
down  upon  us  through  the  forest,  not  one  of 
us  would  have  thought  it  at  all  strange ;  in- 
deed the  coolies  with  bated  breath  had  spoken 
of  such  an  occurrence  as  not  unlikely,  but  to 
encounter  and  be  overpowered  by  a  dead  ele- 
phant was  the  height  of  absurdity. 


48  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

We  laughed,  held  our  noses,  and  with  great 
difficulty  made  a  detour  over  the  rocks  and 
boulders  around  the  carcass  and  proceeded  on 
our  march. 

A  little  more  than  a  mile  brought  us  to 
Chirriaghata,  a  low  sandstone  range  over 
which  the  path  is  carried  by  a  deep,  narrow 
fissure  in  the  sandy  soil,  thereby  reducing  the 
climb.  At  the  top,  in  an  excavation  made  in 
the  side  of  the  fissure,  we  came  upon  a  Hin- 
doo deity  with  a  brazen  face  and  front,  beside 
which  was  the  ever-present  Mahadeo's  phallic 
linga  (the  Hindoo's  Creator)  all  bedecked  with 
tinsel  and  flowers,  and  strewn  with  rice  and 
copper  coins,  the  votive  offerings  of  the  sin- 
laden  as  they  filter  through  this  first  Nepalese 
pass. 

This  mountain  shrine  was  attended  by  a 
bright  Newar  boy  not  over  fourteen,  who  told 
us  in  reply  to  our  many  inquiries,  that  he  had 
been  there  all  alone  two  years ;  that  his  home 
was  miles  away  beyond  certain  lofty  ranges, 
but  that  a  family  in  a  hut  just  at  the  foot  of 
the  pass  we  had  ascended  took  care  of  him, 
and  that  he  had  nothing  to  fear  as  he  was  en- 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  49 

gaged  in  the  meritorious  duty  of  custodian  to 
the  Gods,  an  instance  of  faith  that  would 
cause  a  good  many  examples  of  modern 
Christianity  to  suffer  by  comparison. 

The  ascending  path  by  which  we  had  come 
now  descended  as  abruptly  on  the  other  side 
into  the  dry  rocky  channel  of  a  mountain  tor- 
rent that  wended  its  way  in  the  opposite  di- 
rection from  the  one  we  had  just  come.  After 
a  mile  of  very  rough  walking,  we  came  upon 
what  appeared  to  be  a  faint  attempt  at  a 
good,  wide-made  road  free  from  stones,  lead- 
ing at  a  gently  inclined  gradient,  through  a 
beautiful  forest  of  very  uniformly  developed 
young,  slender,  tapering  sal  trees. 

After  some  three  miles  of  this  rather  pleas- 
ant walk  we  came  to  the  full  flowing,  yet 
narrow  stream  of  Kurru,  crossed  by  an  old, 
but  well-made,  sal  log  bridge. 

We  began  now  to  pass  numbers  of  coolies, 
attended  by  sepoy  guards  of  the  British 
Government,  carrying  all  sorts  of  camp  articles, 
such  as  tents,  folding  tables,  chairs,  carpets 
and  everything  requisite  to  make  one  com- 
fortable. There  must  have  been  a  little  army 


50  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 

of  coolies,  a  number  of  whom  having  been 
pressed  into  service  against  their  will,  took 
every  opportunity  to  get  behind  a  bush  or 
tree,  dodge  the  guards,  drop  their  burdens  and 
bolt  into  the  jungles. 

In  various  secluded  spots  we  came  upon  a 
deserted  bed  and  chair  here,  an  abandoned 
washstand  or  basin  there,  and  so  on ;  strange 
things  to  find  in  the  wilds  of  the  jungle.  All 
this  turn  out,  we  presently  learned,  belonged 
to  the  British  Resident,  or  English  consular 
officer  deputed  by  his  Government  to  watch 
British  interests  at  the  Court  of  Nepal. 

This  officer  was  on  his  way  to  Segowli  to 
attend  to  certain  boundary  questions;  we 
were  told  that  we  should  meet  him  at  our 
next  halting  ground,  which  place  was  the 
village  of  Hetowda,  about  two  miles  beyond 
Kurru  log  bridge,  where  we  arrived  by  nine 
o'clock  that  morning,  and  found  the  largest 
and  best  kept  Powah  of  any  on  the  road. 

Then,  too,  the  village  was  a  very  good  sized 
one  for  the  jungle,  but  like  a  number  of  other 
inhabited  places  along  our  route,  it  was  only 
a  winter  settlement,  for  from  the  first  of  May 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  51 

to  the  end  of  October  the  place  is  abandoned 
to  the  deadly  orgies  of  the  Terai  fever,  to  the 
loathsome  leech  and  the  filthy  rhinoceros. 
Even  the  Nepalese  Custom  House  located 
here,  and  which  during  the  winter  months 
collects  quite  an  amount  of  duty  on  merchan- 
dise passing  through,  closes  its  doors  in  sum- 
mer and  retires  further  into  the  interior. 

Here  too  nearly  all  the  caravans  of  bullocks, 
ponies  and  donkeys  coming  from  India  turn 
and  go  back,  leaving  their  burdens  to  be  car- 
ried further  on  by  coolies,  owing  to  the  diffi- 
culties of  the  road. 

The  Powah  of  Hetowda,  we  found  to  be 
a  commodious,  well- constructed  two-storied 
building  in  the  form  of  a  square  surrounding 
an  open  court,  the  prevailing  caravansery  style 
so  common  in  the  East.  We  found  quite  a 
number  of  such  buildings  at  various  intervals 
all  along  our  route,  and  whether  built  by  the 
Nepalese  Government  or  by  private  enter- 
prise, their  construction  is  deemed  most  meri- 
torious. They  certainly  are  a  great  boon  to 
travellers. 

In  front  of  the  Hetowda  Powah  were  num- 


52  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

bers  of  people,  coolies,  servants,  sepoys,  et  hoc 
omne  genus,  all  busily  engaged  in  making  pre- 
parations for  the  early  anticipated  arrival  of 
the  Resident. 

The  thought  occurred  to  us  then,  as  it  had 
on  many  previous  occasions,  that  travelling 
must  be  made  easy  to  officials  with  so  many 
to  prepare  the  way  and  get  all  things  ready 
beforehand. 

Our  own  servant,  coolies  and  effects  had  not 
yet  come  up,  and  while  hesitating  about  try- 
ing to  get  shelter  at  some  place  other  than 
the  Powah,  for  fear  of  taking  up  room  to 
which  the  Resident  we  felt  should  have  first 
claim,  certain  of  the  servants  came  up  and 
politely  conducted  us  to  a  pleasant  upstairs 
room,  saying  there  was  abundant  accommoda- 
tion, and  their  sahib  would  by  no  means  re- 
quire all. 

Our  coolies  now  arrived  bringing  our  things, 
and  we  were  soon  comfortably  settled. 

By  noon  the  Resident  came,  borne  by 
coolies,  seated  in  a  jampan,  or  sort  of  sedan 
chair  with  a  straight  handle  before  and  be- 
hind, that  rested  on  their  shoulders. 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  53 

Later  in  the  day  I  called  on  him  and  found 
him  very  pleasant  and  affable.  He  thought 
it  rather  bold  and  venturesome  in  us  to  under- 
take in  a  private  capacity  such  a  difficult  trip, 
declaring  that  he  found  it  hard  enough,  al- 
though an  officer  and  commanding  every  pos- 
sible help ;  at  the  same  time  he  confessed  that 
we  seemed  to  get  over  the  ground  much  more 
easily  than  he  did,  for  he  had  no  end  of  trouble 
with  his  coolies,  who  kept  running  away  and 
throwing  down  their  loads  at  every  turn  in 
the  road,  causing  him  great  inconvenience 
and  delay.  He  inquired  whether  any  one  had 
tried  to  stop  us  since  entering  Nepal  territory, 
and  when  we  told  him  no,  he  mentioned  a  place, 
Cisagurdi,  about  eighteen  miles  ahead,  where 
a  strong  guard  of  Nepalese  soldiers,  stationed 
in  a  steep  pass,  questioned  every  one  going 
by,  and  were  disposed  to  stop  any  foreigner, 
especially  Europeans  not  having  strong  offi- 
cial permits  from  Khatmandu.  He  did  not 
think,  however,  that  we  would  be  interfered 
with  as  I  was  already  provided  with  his  offi- 
cial perwana  or  passport,  and  to  make  it  sure 
he  promised  to  send  orders  by  a  returning 


54  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

messenger  that  we  must  not  be  stopped,  or 
our  progress  questioned.  Just  before  parting 
the  Resident  laughingly  remarked  that  one  of 
the  greatest  desires  of  his  life  was  to  see 
America.  I  expressed  the  hope  that  he  would 
do  so,  as  he  would  see  something  on  a  great 
scale.  "  Yes,"  he  laughingly  continued,  "  but 
then  I  should  not  feel  easy,  for  you  know 
everybody  carries  a  revolver  over  there  and 
doesn't  hesitate  to  use  it ! " 


THE    LATE    SIR    JUNG    BAHADUR    AND    WIFE. 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  55 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A   BEAUTIFUL   ROAD:   CHANGING   COOLIES. 

Early  the  next  morning  having  dismissed 
our  coolies  and  taken  a  fresh  set  (the  Resident 
taking  the  opposite  direction)  we  were  off. 
Our  march  that  day  was  the  pleasantest  of  the 
whole  journey,  being  along  the  bank  of  the 
foaming  Rapti,  and  over  a  level  well-made 
road,  in  many  places  cut  out  of  the  solid  rock, 
the  work  of  the  great  Sir  Jung  Bahadur,  Nepal's 
late  prime  minister;  and  but  for  some  bad 
breaks  here  and  there  made  by  the  monsoon, 
it  was  good  enough  for  a  four-in-hand  to  be 
driven  at  full  speed  for  a  distance  of  over  ten 
miles. 

The  first  two  miles  brought  us  to  a  large 
tributary  of  the  Rapti,  over  which  was  a 
long  log  bridge  resting  on  eight  or  ten  log 
piers,  built  like  log  cabins  and  filled  with  sand 
and  stone.  This  bridge  was  now  unfortu- 


56  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

nately  useless,  having  had  one  of  the  centre 
piers  carried  away  during  the  last  rains, 
making  a  great  gap  in  the  roadway,  so  that  a 
diversion  had  to  be  constructed  through  the 
rough  bed  of  the  river,  which  it  is  to  be  hoped 
is  only  temporary  pending  the  early  repair  of 
such  a  good  bridge. 

Six  miles  beyond,  after  passing  through  a 
fine  bit  of  Himalayan  scenery,  we  came  to 
another  and  smaller  bridge  and  to  the  village 
of  Bheisardwar,  in  a  very  narrow  part  of  the 
valley,  with  mountains  running  up  into  the 
clouds  on  both  sides  and  covered  with  rank 
forests.  Here  our  coolies  put  down  their  loads 
saying  they  would  go  no  further,  but  easily 
finding  another  set,  we  paid  them  off  and  let 
them  go. 

In  another  two  miles  we  reached  the  large 
Powah  of  Nowarta  with  its  few  huts  scattered 
about  making  up  the  village.  Here  we 
grudgingly  made  a  long  wearisome  halt,  as  our 
new  batch  of  men  declared  they  had  come 
their  regular  beat,  and  having  done  all  that 
could  be  legally  required  of  them,  they  laid 
down  their  burdens  and  quietly  departed 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  57 


without  even  stopping  for  their  money  Such 
leave  taking  was  rather  abrupt,  but  was  ex- 
plained by  the  fact  of  its  being  the  last  and 
great  day  of  Dewali,  when,  as  at  our  Christ- 
mas, everybody  was  supposed  to  be  merry- 
making. At  any  rate  everyone  we  met  seemed 
to  be  either  drunk,  or  intoxicated  with  the  ex- 
citement of  gambling,  and  was  rigidly  averse 
to  work  of  any  kind,  a  spirit  which  had 
affected  our  coolies  as  well. 

Then  too  the  rule  which  holds  throughout 
the  East  that  each  town  must  furnish  coolies 
to  the  traveller  (he  can  claim  as  many  as  he 
brings)  to  the  next  town  only  and  no  further, 
should  they  object  to  going,  obliged  us  to 
submit  to  the  desertion  of  our  men.  We  tried 
to  get  others,  but  the  place  seemed  to  be  de- 
serted. 

After  a  couple  of  hours  search  we  found 
two  men,  two  women  and  a  boy,  who  agreed 
to  carry  what  they  could  to  Bhimphedi,  a 
town  five  miles  ahead.  They  could,  however, 
only  carry  about  half  of  our  effects,  and  though 
not  knowing  when  we  could  procure  more 
help,  we  started  them  off  unattended.  And 


58  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

be  it  said  touching  the  proverbial  honesty  of 
these  poor  creatures,  that  we  had  not  the 
slighest  fear  of  our  luggage  being  tampered 
with  although  they  carried  money  and  valu- 
ables that  were  accessible  in  bags  and  bundles. 

We  now  renewed  our  efforts  to  get  the  rest 
of  our  things  off,  and  in  looking  about  we  spied 
a  group  of  men  behind  some  bushes,  gathered 
about  a  buffalo  they  had  just  butchered  beside 
the  Rapti,  which  they  were  cutting  up  for  a 
feast  that  night.  Going  up  we  found  the  head 
man  of  the  village  there,  and  told  him  that  he 
was  bound  to  help  us.  He  promised  to  do  so, 
went  off  with  the  party  about  him  and  that 
was  the  last  we  saw  of  him. 

Finding  ourselves  thus  nicely  trapped,  with 
half  our  goods  already  gone  on,  and  the  other 
half  lying  by  the  roadside,  also  noticing  the 
shadows  creeping  up  the  valley  along  which 
our  road  lay,  caused  by  the  sun  having  already 
set  behind  a  neighboring  peak  and  rapidly 
sinking,  we  were  warned  of  approaching 
night. 

There  was  now  no  alternative  but  to  leave 
our  servant  in  charge,  enjoining  upon  him  to 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  59 

come  as  quickly  as  lie  could  get  the  coolies, 
while  we  ourselves  hastened  on  to  Bhimphedi. 
Disturbed  as  we  were  at  the  thought  of  our 
forlorn  situation,  both  of  us  started  up  in  a  fit 
of  desperation  and,  as  we  walked  off,  snatched 
up  a  few  light  articles  to  carry  ourselves,  such 
as  a  box  of  tinned  biscuits,  a  lantern,  a  rifle,  or 
a  courier  bag,  and  began  to  plod  along. 

We  soon  gave  up  talking  as  the  roar  of  the 
Rapti  on  our  right  grew  louder  and  drowned 
our  voices,  so  we  proceeded  in  silence.  Dark- 
ness too  came  on  apace,  while  the  night  wind 
began  to  feel  chilly,  showing  that  we  were  ris- 
ing into  a  higher  and  cooler  atmosphere. 

At  this  juncture  I  happened  to  cast  my  eyes 
beyond  the  noisy  stream  to  where  the  forest 
coming  down  from  an  immense  height  touched 
the  water's  edge  and  saw  through  the  gloom  a 
dark  object  moving  along  slowly  among  the 
boulders  and  drifted  logs.  Being  a  hundred 
yards  off,  I  could  not  readily  distinguish,  for 
want  of  more  light,  the  nature  of  the  object, 
when  suddenly  we  noticed  it  mount  a  rock 
and  give  a  furious  plunge  into  the  midst  of 
the  foaming  torrent. 


60  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 

We  stopped,  expecting  to  see  it  borne  down 
by  the  rapidity  of  the  current  and  dashed 
to  pieces  among  the  eddying  whirlpools. 
Nothing  of  the  kind  !  To  our  amazement  up 
rose  the  black  thing — a  large  bear — from  under 
the  seething  waters,  then  reached  out  both 
its  fore  paws  and  by  an  astonishing  exhi- 
bition of  strength  clutched  the  bank  a  few 
feet  below  us. 

The  situation  was  not  without  its  dangers, 
because  the  Himalayan  bear  (iirsus  labiatiis) 
has  a  sinister  reputation  of  its  own,  which  it 
must  be  confessed  it  tries  very  hard  to  justify. 
Still,  although  it  was  rather  close  quarters  the 
Winchester  which  my  son  held  made  the  con- 
test more  even,  and  as  I  stretched  out  my  hand 
for  the  rifle  I  watched  the  brute  approach 
still  nearer  with  some  degree  of  equanimity. 
I  had  met  many  other  members  of  the  same 
family  face  to  face  before  and  could  depend 
on  my  nerves  and  my  aim. 

I  had  not  taken  my  eyes  off  the  bear  and 
was  still  holding  out  my  hand  for  the  rifle 
when  my  son  called  out,  in  a  horror-stricken 
voice,  "  we  have  left  the  cartridges  behind." 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  61 

Here  was  a  situation!  My  cheeks  burned, 
even  as  I  faced  the  bear,  at  the  unsportsman- 
like oversight. 

But  there  was  no  time  for  reflection,  for 
Bruin  was  already  on  his  hind  legs  and  seek- 
ing closer  quarters.  What  should  I  do  ?  Club 
him  with  the  rifle  ?  a  poor  game  to  play  with 
a  bear  and  abandoned  as  soon  as  thought  of. 

As  I  glanced  hastily  around  for  a  weapon  I 
caught  sight  of  a  large  water-worn  stone 
which  appeared  to  promise  some  merits  as  a 
missile  if  I  could  only  bring  it  to  bear  upon 
that  thick  skull  in  front  of  me. 

For  a  moment  the  bear  stopped  in  his  ad- 
vance as  if  it  suddenly  occurred  to  him  as 
strange  that  we  did  not  run  away  while  we 
had  the  chance  and  that  there  might  be  some 
kind  of  trap  for  him  somewhere.  His  hesi- 
tation, which  did  not  last  more  than  a  couple 
of  seconds,  was  sufficient  for  me  to  poise  and 
launch,  with  desperate  effort,  the  heavy  stone 
which  by  great  good  fortune  struck  him  full 
on  the  head  just  above  the  small  vicious  eyes 
which  seemed  to  spring  together  in  a  horrid 
squint  as  the  huge  stone  struck  him. 


62  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

A  piercing  howl  of  pain,  which  rose  high 
above  the  roar  of  the  torrent,  followed  the 
blow,  and  for  an  instant  the  bear  reeled  half 
unconscious,  clutched  the  air  desperately  with 
his  paws  and  then  fell  on  all  fours. 

But  the  stupifying  effect  was  only  moment- 
ary. Like  a  flash  he  rose  on  his  hind  legs 
again  and  with  a  fury  in  his  little  vicious 
eyes  which  boded  no  good  for  me  if  he  could 
only  get  hold  of  me.  Still  it  would  appear 
that  the  terrible  blow  had  to  some  extent  de- 
moralized him  as  well  as  shaken  his  courage. 
Possibly  he  reflected  that  there  were  more  of 
the  same  kind  in  store  for  him.  Anyhow 
there  we  were  still  in  front  of  him  and  not 
running  away  as  everything  else  did  which  he 
met  excepting  his  good  friends  the  Elephant 
and  Rhinoceros. 

While  one  might  count  three  he  stood  in  a 
picturesque  position  of  hesitating  menace, 
fronting  me  with  fury  in  his  eyes,  and  then 
he  suddenly  turned  and  with  a  tremendous 
leap  plunged  once  more  into  the  foaming 
waters  and  was  lost  to  sight. 

There  was  no  doubt  that  we  had  had  great 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  63 

luck  with  our  bear  for  the  situation  was  one 
of  considerable  danger,  unarmed  as  we  were. 
Fortunately,  we  did  not  know  our  defenseless 
condition  until  we  were,  so  to  speak,  in  the 
thick  of  the  fight  and  then  action  banished  all 
thought  of  fear. 

There  was  nothing  further  to  do  but  to  walk 
along  in  a  sadder  and  wiser  frame  of  mind, 
taking  a  solemn  vow  never  to  leave  cartridges 
behind  and  if  we  did,  then  invariably  to  leave 
the  gun  too — a  lesson  we  had  already  sup- 
posed ourselves  to  have  learned  long,  long 
ago,  and  yet  the  simple  neglect  of  which 
under  the  present  circumstances  had  cost  us 
the  loss  of  a  beautiful  bear's  skin. 


64  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

DELAYED   AT    BHIMPHEDI. 

Darkness  intensified  by  the  surrounding 
forests  now  overwhelmed  us,  and  but  for  the 
cheerful  rays  of  a  little  lantern  we  had  taken 
the  precaution  to  bring  we  should  have  had  to 
get  down  under  some  trees  and  there  sit  the 
night  out. 

On  and  on  we  walked  along  a  road  with 
many  turnings  but  seemingly  with  no  ending. 
Twice  we  crossed  streams  by  means  of  step- 
ping-stones, and  at  length  coming  suddenly 
on  some  huts  we  earnestly  hoped  we  had 
reached  Bhimphedi,  our  intended  camping 
place,  to  which  the  coolies  who  had  preceded 
us  were  instructed  to  go.  In  this  we  were 
disappointed,  being  told  that  we  had  still  two 
miles  further  to  travel. 

So  on  we  went,  and  presently  passed  through 
a  thick  clump  of  trees  loaded  with  a  species 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  65 

of  wild  fruit  that  was  being  resorted  to  by 
some  large  animals,  presumably  bears  and 
pigs,  for  they  scampered  off  in  the  darkness 
making  a  great  noise,  evidently  not  liking 
our  lantern. 

The  two  miles  still  left  for  us  to  march, 
seemed  to  lengthen  into  double  that  distance 
before,  weary  and  hungry,  we  reached  the 
village  of  Bhimphedi  at  9  p.  m.  Here  we  found 
our  coolies  and  the  things  they  had  brought 
safely  located  in  the  small  open  veranda  of 
the  house  of  the  Naik  or  chief  police  officer 
of  the  town,  and  here  we  concluded  to  pass 
the  night,  being  too  tired  to  seek  other 
quarters. 

On  examining  the  coolies'  loads,  we  found 
that  our  bedding  had  been  left  behind  with 
our  servant  and  the  rest  of  our  belongings, 
though  a  basket  of  provisions  and  some 
dishes  had  come  on ;  by  the  help  of  which, 
together  with  good  milk  obtained  for  us  in  the 
village,  we  made  out  a  comfortable  supper. 

It  was  now  nearly  midnight,  and  yet  no 
signs  of  our  servant  or  the  articles  left  in  his 
charge.  So  throwing  ourselves  right  on  the 


66  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 


floor  of  the  veranda,  with  our  saddles  for 
pillows,  we  tried  to  secure  some  sleep. 

For  two  reasons  we  did  not  rest  well ;  one 
was  insufficient  covering  against  the  chilliness 
of  the  night  air,  and  the  other  was  a  constant 
stream  of  singing  beggars,  the  night  being 
the  last  of  Dewali  (corresponding  to  our  New 
Year's  eve),  when  everybody  seemed  privileged 
to  go  to  anybody's  quarters  and  rouse  him 
from  his  slumbers  by  giving  him  a  New  Year's 
serenade,  during  which  every  line  of  their 
lugubrious  song  was  made  to  end  with  the 
refrain  "  Dou-cee-rae,"  "  Dou-cee-rae,"  and  in- 
terspersed with  loud  importunate  demands 
for  gifts. 

This  kind  of  performance  each  strolling 
party  repeated  and  kept  up  till  something 
was  granted  them  in  the  shape  of  either  grain, 
food,  clothing  or  coppers.  As  this  went  on 
the  whole  night  through,  we  were  only  too 
glad  to  bestir  ourselves  by  early  dawn  and 
start  up  our  circulation  by  walking  briskly  to 
and  fro. 

We  now  anxiously  waited  for  our  servant 
and  luggage.  Up  to  noon  nothing  came,  so 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  67 

procuring  a  pony  in  the  town  for  Harry,  he 
mounted  and  rode  back  to  look  up  the  servant. 

Meanwhile  I  availed  myself  of  the  opportu- 
nity to  jot  down  some  notes  of  our  journey. 
The  veranda  we  occupied  commanded  an  in- 
teresting view  of  the  village,  the  valley  of  the 
Rapti  we  had  been  ascending  and  a  circular 
range  of  perpendicular  cliffs  of  great  height 
that  abruptly  ended  this  valley. 

Just  below  the  veranda  was  a  spring  whose 
water  ran  out  of  a  stone  spout  fashioned  like 
a  griffin,  and  fell  in  a  continuous  stream  a  few 
feet  below  on  a  linga,  or  one  of  the  emblematic 
forms  of  Mahadeo  (Siva). 

These  animal-shaped  water  spouts  are  called 
Dhara.  Their  construction,  like  the  building 
of  Powahs,  is  regarded  as  an  especially  meri- 
torious act,  entitling  the  founder  to  the  richest 
blessings  of  heaven. 

Beside  the  griffin  spout  exposed  to  every 
change  of  weather  sat  a  man,  a  "  sadhu," 
almost  nude,  in  the  prime  of  life,  and,  though 
blind,  endeavoring  to  follow  the  course  of  the 
sun  from  sunrise  to  sunset  with  his  sightless 
eyeballs  while  mumbling  over  his  beads  of 


G8  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

the  rough  rudraksJia  or  deep  marked  seeds  of 
the  Elcocarpus  ganitrus.  At  night  he  would 
partake  of  the  alms  bestowed  on  him  during 
the  day  by  passers-by  and  lie  down  on  a  rough 
piece  of  gunny  cloth  or  burlap  just  where  he 
had  been  sitting,  and  fall  asleep  only  to  wake 
the  next  morning  to  repeat  the  same  monot- 
onous devotions.  Such  had  been  his  occupa- 
tion for  the  past  five  years,  and  such  would  it 
continue  to  be  till  released  by  death. 

Three  hours  had  gone  by  and  no  sign  of 
either  Harry  or  the  servant,  so  I  thought  of 
going  to  look  them  up  myself,  when  I  spied  a 
curious  looking  object  coming1  along  the  road, 
which  soon  proved  to  be  our  bundle  of  bed- 
ding on  the  back  of  our  servant,  who  had 
turned  himself  into  a  coolie,  the  most  credit- 
able act  I  ever  saw  him  do,  thereby  covering 
a  multitude  of  subsequent  failures,  any  one 
of  which  might  have  merited  his  instant  dis- 
missal. He  had  a  gloomy  story  to  relate  of 
how  he  sat  up  all  the  cold  night  through, 
watching  beside  our  things  left  on  the  road; 
how  he  had  been  frightened  by  wild  beasts, 
how  in  the  morning  when  renewing  his  efforts 


NEPALESE    MOTHER    CARRYING    HER    BABE. 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  69 

no  coolies  could  be  got  for  love  or  money,  and 
how  in  sheer  desperation  picking  up  our  bed- 
ding and  getting  an  old  man  to  watch  in  his 

• 
place,  he  had  come  on  like  a  common  coolie 

himself.  He  passed  my  son  about  half-way, 
who  told  him  to  hasten  on  and  he  would  fetch 
the  remainder  of  what  was  left  in  some  way. 

Another  two  hours  passed,  and  then  an- 
other weary  one,  seemingly  as  long  as  the 
first  two.  Still  no  one  appeared  coming  over 
the  silent  road,  and  as  it  now  began  growing 
dark,  I  set  out  myself  to  walk  back.  I  had 
hardly  gone  a  mile,  when  whom  should  I 
come  upon  but  my  son  Harry  walking  beside 
his  pony,  the  latter  carrying  all  that  he  could 
get  strapped  on  him.  There  were  still  three 
coolies'  loads  remaining  behind,  but  Harry 
had  managed  to  find  a  man  who  had  agreed 
for  buksheesh  to  have  all  our  things  brought 
on  that  night,  which  he  did  two  hours  later. 

We  had  now  lost  a  day,  but  we  planned  that 
the  following  marches  should  make  up  for  it. 
That  night  we  passed  more  comfortably  than 
the  previous  one  and  were  up  before  dawn, 
being  waked  by  our  coolies,  whom  I  had 


70  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 

already  made  sure  of  in  the  village,  and  who 
insisted  on  a  very  early  start,  as  the  march 
was  to  be  a  very  hard  one,  right  up  over  a 
pass  6,447  feet  above  sea  level  and  over  4,000 
feet  above  our  location. 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  71 


CHAPTER  X. 

CLIMBING    CISAGURDI. 

Our  path  up  the  Pass  of  Bhimphedi  was  a 
narrow  zigzag  and  very  stony,  so  that  the 
ascent  was  laborious  and  slow,  and,  what  ag- 
gravated matters  was  Harry's  early  develop- 
ing a  burning  fever,  the  immediate  result  of 
his  efforts  yesterday,  and  a  remote  cause  be- 
ing malaria  which  he  had  contracted  at  our 
exposed  camp  near  the  dead  elephant.  He, 
however,  bravely  trudged  on,  though  stopping 
with  increasing  frequency  to  catch  breath  and 
to  rest.  This  gave  us  opportunity  to  admire 
at  every  ascending  step  the  widening  pros- 
pect, and  feel  the  air  rapidly  growing  cooler 
and  more  bracing. 

At  a  commanding  point  after  an  ascent 
of  some  3,000  feet  we  looked  down,  and  there 
almost  in  a  line  with  our  feet,  nestled  the 
village  of  Bhimphedi,  consisting  of  a  single 


72  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

street,  lined  on  both  sides  by  low  tiled  houses, 
the  whole  divided  from  the  plain  beyond  by  a 
wide  stretch  of  sand  and  stone,  the  dry  bed  of 
the  Rapti,  said  to  contain  a  large  stream  of 
water  which  flowed  a  few  feet  under  the  surf  ace 
and  broke  out  a  mile  or  so  below,  forming 
the  boisterous  torrent  along  which  we  had 
been  marching. 

Bhimphedi  marked  an  abrupt  termination 
of  the  Rapti  valley,  as  was  apparent  from  the 
precipitous  ranges  we  were  climbing,  and 
which  formed  above  the  village  a  complete 
cul-de-sac  in  which  suddenly  ended  the  level 
road  already  referred  to,  made  by  Nepalese 
soldiers  acting  under  orders  from  Sir  Jung 
Bahadur  twenty  years  ago. 

What  the  original  intentions  were  of  bring- 
ing a  splendid  level  road  up  to  the  foot  of  an 
almost  insurmountable  pass,  which  could  not 
be  cleared  save  by  climbing,  is  a  mystery. 

Another  steady  pull  up  of  about  1,000  feet 
(the  coolies  whistling  a  hoarse  monotonous 
note  every  few  steps  from  habit,  when  taking 
breath),  brought  us  to  a  low,  and  somewhat 
dilapidated,  stone  wall,  with  bastions  and  a 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 


gateway,  (but  no  gate,)  apparently  hanging 
on  for  dear  life  to  the  faintest  effort  at  a  spur 
which  nature  in  some  wild  freak  had  thrust 
out  from  the  precipitous  overhanging  moun- 
tain sides. 

As  we  entered  this  forlorn  enclosure  by 
winding  around  through  loopholed  walls  and 
debris,  we  took  in  the  situation  at  once.  To 
our  left  were  a  few  huts  which  clung  to  this 
wild,  contracted  perch.  These  were  chiefly 
the  dwellings  of  the  garrison  stationed  here 
by  the  Nepal  Government  to  guard  this  diffi- 
cult pass,  and  were  clustered  about  a  tile- 
roofed  bungalow,  built  for  the  accommodation 
of  Nepalese  chiefs  and  well-to-do  travellers  in 
their  journeyings  to  and  from  Khatmandu. 
Here  the  British  Resident  himself  had  stopped 
the  night  before  we  met  him  at  Hetowda,  as 
already  narrated. 

To  our  immediate  right,  and  fringing  the 
pathway  by  which  we  had  entered,  was  an 
apparently  bottomless  valley,  which  made 
one's  head  turn  in  attempting  to  fathom  it  by 
craning  the  neck  over  its  perpendicular  walls 
of  rock.  Just  ahead  of  us,  and  barring  the 


74  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 

exit  from  this  garrisoned  enclosure,  against 
any  further  progress  up  the  mountain,  were 
five  light  poles  running  horizontally  across 
into  slotted  posts  on  each  side,  exactly  like 
pasture  bars  at  home  and  rather  poor  ones  at 
that. 

Here  beside  these  bars  paced  a  Gurkha 
sentry,  the  first  military  sign  we  had  been 
treated  to  in  military  Nepal.  He  was  armed 
with  a  loaded  musket  and  clothed  in  a  faded 
red  English  uniform,  and  his  appearance 
created  an  impression  that  here  our  advance 
would  be  questioned  before  those  bars  would 
be  let  down  for  us  to  pass. 

I  need  hardly  add  that  a  better  site  could 
not  have  been  chosen  for  guarding  this  high- 
way from  India  into  Nepal.  Imagine  a 
precipitous  chain  of  mountains,  a  slight  pro- 
jection of  a  spur  thrust  out  from  the  mountain 
side  and  forming  a  shelf  just  large  enough  to 
hold  a  small  cluster  of  huts,  a  zigzag  path 
running  almost  perpendicular  in  parts  up 
the  mountain,  between  dangerous  precipices; 
imagine  such  a  formidable  spot  and  no  alter- 
native but  to  pass  over  this  spur  guarded  by 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  75 

a  handful  of  dare-devils  of  Gurkhas,  who 
could  stop  a  whole  invading  army  from 
advance,  as  even  British  troops  can  testify, 
and  the  reader  will  have  some  idea  of  our 
surroundings  and  the  peculiar  situation 
which  confronted  us  on  that  bright  crisp 
morning  under  a  brilliant  sun  and  over- 
topping snow-capped  peaks.  Such  was  our 
introduction  to  this  forbidden  land  and  to  this 
travel  forbidding  people. 

Our  arrival  had  caused  a  stir  in  the  guard- 
house. Our  coolies  had  been  stopped  by  the 
sentry  on  duty  and  sat  down  to  catch  breath, 
with  their  burdens  beside  them.  Harry  lay 
groaning  on  the  ground,  resting  his  head  on 
a  stone,  flushed  deeply  by  the  intensity  of 
his  fever,  and  with  a  pulse  above  a  hundred. 

Just  then  the  Havildar,  or  chief  officer,  in 
charge  of  the  garrison,  came  out  in  undress 
uniform,  and  without  the  customary  salam, 
accosted  us  abruptly.  This  was  a  breach  of 
the  commonest  oriental  courtesy,  and  did  not 
augur  well.  He  rudely  asked  where  we  were 
going.  I  replied,  to  Khatmandu.  He  wanted 
to  know  on  whose  authority.  I  told  him  I  had 


76  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 


a  perwana  or  passport.  He  asked  me  to  pro- 
duce it,  saying  he  had  had  no  intimation  of 
our  coming.  This  I  knew  to  be  false,  for  word 
had  been  sent  by  the  Resident,  to  my  knowl- 
edge, from  Hetowda,  through  returning  mes- 
sengers, and  I  myself  had  forewarned  the 
Havildar  of  our  approach  from  Bhimphedi, 
at  the  bottom  of  the  pass,  while  detained  there 
for  two  days  as  already  stated. 

I  had  no  sooner  handed  the  perwana  to  this 
officious  chief  than  he  tossed  it  aside,  saying 
it  was  no  good.  I  was  somewhat  annoyed  and 
replied  that  he  could  not  read  (which  was  a 
fact)  and  requested  that  his  Brahmin  scribe 
or  writer  be  summoned.  He  said  it  made  no 
difference;  he  did  not  recognize  British  au- 
thority ;  that  the  perwana  was  not  worth  the 
paper  it  was  written  on,  as  he  saw  no  seal  of 
his  government  on  it. 

I  firmly  insisted  on  the  Brahmin's  being 
called,  and  while  one  of  the  many  sepoys  that 
had  now  gathered  around  us  went  for  the 
scribe,  I  took  up  the  perwana  and  began  to 
read  myself  aloud  the  Devnagiri  character  in 
which  the  passport  was  written. 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  77 

This  somewhat  astonished  the  Havildar 
and  he  muttered  something  about  my  being 
a  strange  sahib  who  talked  and  read  the  ver- 
nacular in  common  with  the  natives. 

As  the  Brahmin  with  his  reed  pen  (the  ver- 
itable calamus  of  the  ancient  Romans)  and 
country-made  paper  and  ink  approached,  I 
ordered  him  to  make  a  copy  of  the  perwana, 
somewhat  to  the  surprise  of  his  chief,  that 
I  should  take  it  upon  myself  to  give  orders, 
thereby  assuming  the  function  of  the  superior 
officer  in  command. 

This,  however,  was  nothing  compared  to 
what  immediately  followed.  While  the  Brah- 
min was  copying  the  perwana  seated  on  the 
ground,  with  the  thigh  and  knee  of  his  right 
leg  raised  to  support  the  paper,  I  gazed  at 
the  motley  garrison,  numbering  at  least  fifty 
sepoys,  all  of  whom  were  crowding  around 
us,  some  in  old  and  faded  uniforms  like  the 
sentry  at  the  bars,  others  hardly  awake  and 
with  only  a  cloth  thrown  about  their  dusky 
forms.  In  their  excitement  they  brandished 
their  arms  and,  headed  by  their  gruff  chief, 
they  formed  a  weird  and  menacing  group  in 
this  strange  eyrie. 


78  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 


In  front  stood  or  rather  squatted  the  timid 
coolies  with  our  still  more  timid  servant,  while 
Harry  lay  beside  my  feet  on  the  ground,  mum- 
bling as  though  his  brain  was  being  affected. 
Knowing  the  rapid  and  possibly  fatal  conse- 
quences of  the  fever,  this  last  sight  decided 
matters  for  me.  Seeing,  moreover,  no  disposi- 
tion to  yield  on  the  part  of  the  natives  who 
had  intercepted  our  progress  and  wishing  to 
save  time  while  the  perwana  was  being  copied, 
I  suddenly  arose  from  the  rock  which  had 
formed  my  seat,  made  my  way  silently  but 
with  a  determination  that  quickly  cleared  a 
path  for  me,  took  the  bars  down  one  by  one 
and  in  a  commanding  tone  ordered  my  ser- 
vant and  the  coolies  to  proceed  at  once  up  the 
pass. 

The  coolies  hesitated  a  moment,  not  know- 
ing whether  to  fear  me  or  the  garrison  most. 
But  a  look  at  my  desperate  face  seemed  to  help 
them  to  decide,  and  taking  up  their  loads  they 
started  off  quietly  in  Indian  file,  headed  by  my 
servant. 

A  momentary  silence  fell  upon  the  garrison 
as  I  returned  and  resumed  my  seat  beside  the 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  79 

Brahmin  and  the  Havildar  chief.  The  latter 
looked  the  picture  of  astonishment,  but  his 
look  soon  changed  to  one  of  contemptuous 
derision  as  he  recalled  his  own  power  and 
our  helplessness. 

A  better,  fiercer  specimen  of  the  Gurkha 
type  as  personified  in  this  chief  could  not 
have  been  found,  and  no  doubt  he  was  sta- 
tioned at  this  important  point  on  account  of 
his  marked  personal  characteristics.  A  short, 
thick-set  man  of  the  average  height  of  his 
race  (5  feet  4  inches),  about  fifty  years  of  age; 
broad-shouldered,  deep-chested,  with  sinews  of 
iron,  resembling  the  stunted  weather-beaten 
oaks  of  his  Himalayan  home ;  his  face  pitted 
deeply  with  small-pox  and  further  disfigured 
by  an  old  savage  gash  down  his  cheek-bone, 
long  since  healed  though  badly  put  together 
— such  was  the  Havildar,  a  thorough  specimen 
of  a  human  tiger,  whom  I  now  felt  I  must 
beard  in  his  very  den. 

By  way  of  explanation  I  ought  to  say  that 
the  Havildar  and  his  garrison,  in  keeping 
with  their  encouraged  aversion  to  foreigners 
visiting  their  country,  were  bent  on  making 


80  ON  INDIA'S  FRONTIER. 

the  most  of  a  political  technicality  to  prevent 
our  further  advance,  even  though  it  should  be 
temporary  only.  This  technicality  was  the 
neglect  to  have  our  passport  vised  by  the 
Nepal  Government,  the  propriety  of  which  I 
did  not  for  one  moment  question. 

I  had  already  pointed  out  to  the  Resident 
at  Hetowda  this  omission  by  his  Department, 
but  he  had  assured  me  that  all  would  be  right. 
Besides,  the  garrison  knew  full  well,  as  I  had 
explained  to  them  that  it  would  be  monstrous 
to  suppose  that  the  Resident  would  permit 
what  the  Nepal  Durbar  or  court  would  not 
sanction;  that  I  had  done  my  utmost  to  pre- 
vent just  such  a  predicament  as  we  were  now 
in,  and  had  taken  every  possible  precaution  to 
shield  the  garrison  from  any  blame  on  our 
account.  And,  now,  because  somebody  had 
been  remiss  in  duty  at  the-  British  Residency 
before  forwarding  us  our  passport,  it  was  very 
unjust  that  we  should  be  made  to  suffer  in 
this  way. 

My  object  in  writing  at  such  length  of  this 
matter  is  owing  to  what  I  was  aware  involved 
a  grave  political  principle,  and  on  account  of 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  81 

certain  opinions  expressed  afterwards,  when 
the  matter  was  brought  to  the  notice  of  the 
British  authorities  ;  and  though  happily  I  was 
able  to  explain  away  all  disagreeableness  to 
the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  Nepal  Court, 
there  still  lingered  a  disposition  among  the 
former  to  blame  me  for  acting  injudiciously, 
if  not  high-handedly. 

Only  a  few,  and  those  few  who  have  had 
bitter  experience  themselves,  will  fully  com- 
prehend my  uncomfortable  position,  aggra- 
vated as  it  was  by  the  results  of  a  systematic 
and  determined  opposition  on  the  part  of  the 
British  Government  in  India  (contrary  to  its 
general  principles)  against  all  European  travel 
and  commercial  intercourse  on  the  frontier  of 
its  Indian  Empire.  A  short-sighted,  brainless 
policy  that  has  fostered  in  that  dark  corner  of 
the  earth  ignorance  and  exclusiveness,  and 
nourished  bigotry,  conceit,  suspicion,  hatred 
of  the  Feringhi,  and  the  most  mischievous 
of  false  notions,  that  has  already  cost  England 
no  end  of  trouble  and  expense,  and  is  bound  to 
brew  for  her  still  greater  troubles  and  expense 
in  the  future. 


82  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 

The  Russians  manage  affairs  better  from 
their  side.*  One  intelligent  European  travel- 
ler, one  conciliating  Vilayati  (white)  mer- 
chant, one  faithful  pioneer  missionary  in  a 
centre  of  darkness,  has  disbanded  a  regiment 
of  fanatics  and  dispelled  a  whole  army  of  mis- 
conceptions.f 

*  The  following  extract  from  a  leading  Bombay  paper  indicates  the  very 
different  methods  adopted  by  Russia  under  similar  circumstances,  and  in 
relation  to  this  neutral  belt :  "  A  St.  Petersburg  correspondent  writes 
'  The  great  market  at  Nishni-Novgorod  which  has  just  been  closed  has 
this  year  brought  several  new  and  interesting  facts  to  light,  illustrating  in  a 
remarkable  manner  the  beneficial  results  which  Russia  has  obtained  from 
her  Central  Asian  conquests.  Large  territories,  which  only  a  few  years  ago 
were  inhabited  but  by  wild  robbers,  are  being  transformed  into  peaceful 
trading  countries.  The  new  Transcaspian  Railway  promises  wonders  in 
this  way.  Thanks  to  ihis  railway,  Persia,  Khiva,  Bokhara,  and  Turkestan 
were  largely  represented  at  the  Nishni-Novgorod  market  this  year  as  never 
before.  Thanks  to  this  same  railway  large  quantities  of  Russian  goods  of 
every  kind  on  the  road  to  the  different  countries  of  Central  Asia  were  in  the 
market.  The  freights  are  not  very  heavy.'  " 

t  THOMAS  STEVENS,  the  special  correspondent  of  Outing,  while  making  a 
tour  of  the  world  on  a  b.cycle,  was  checked  while  penetrating  Afghanistan, 
and  wrote  to  a  personal  friend  : 

"  You  have  heard,  perhaps,  that  while  I  was  a  prisoner  at  Herat  I  wrote 
Col.  Ridgeway,  of  the  Boundary  Commission,  asking  him,  if  possible,  to 
assist  me  through  to  India,  and  that  for  answer  the  Governor  of  Herat  re- 
ceived instructions  to  escort  me  back  into  Persia.  I  have  met  English  trav- 
ellers and  others  since,  who  think  Col.  R.  might  have  assisted  me  through 
that  intervening  few  hundred  miles,  knowing  that  I  had  ridden  from  San 
Francisco  to  get  there.  Col.  R.  doubtless  knows  the  reason  for  ignoring  my 
request  better  than  anybody  else  does,  and  the  difficulties  of  the  situation 
are  probably  greater  than  most  people  imagine.  I  saw  quite  enough  in 
Afghanistan  to  understand  why  nobody,  and  particularly  no  newspaper  cor- 
respondents are  allowed  in  there  at  the  present  time,  and  could  write  an  ar- 
ticle on  what  I  saw  that  would  no  doubt  create  something  of  a  sensation  in 
London  ;  but,  of  course,  I  should  be  sorry  to  allow  anything  to  escape  me 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  83 


CHAPTER  XI. 

ENCOUNTER    WITH   THE   HAVILDAR. 

Our  Perwana  had  by  this  time  been  copied, 
and  the  copy  well  sprinkled  with  sand — the 
usual  blotter  of  the  natives. 

I  took  my  document  and  arose.  The  Hav- 
ildar  looked  at  me  and  demanded  what  I  was 
going  to  do.  I  pointed  to  my  sick  boy  and 
then  to  the  coolies  ahead,  a  good  way  up  near 
the  summit  of  the  pass,  and  said  in  the  most 
polite  of  Oriental  diction  that  time  was  press- 
ing, the  difficulties  of  the  journey  were  great, 
and  that  I  must  hasten  on. 

"No,"  said  the  Havildar,  "you  cannot  pro- 


that  might  perhaps  tend  to  aggravate  the  situation  of  affairs  on  the  frontier. 
I  cannot  help  thinking,  however,  that  had  it  happened  to  be  anybody  less 
favorable  to  our  interests  in  Afghanistan  than  myself  that  had  penetrated 
thus  far  behind  the  scenes,  it  might  have  been  as  well  to  have  treated  him 
with  a  little  more  courtesy  than  to  have  him  unceremoniously  bounced  out  of 
the  country.  These  thoughts  occurred  to  me  the  other  day  in  Tiflis,  when  a 
Russian  officer,  of  sufficient  influence  and  importance  to  be  related  to  the 
Empress,  approached  me  and  tried  to  pump  me  concerning  the  roads  and 
the  nature  of  the  country  down  below  Herat." 


84  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 

ceed.  You  must  stay  here,  I  have  already  de- 
tained white  men  like  you  until  they  were 
either  sent  back,  or  until  all  technicalities  for 
their  further  advance  were  overcome."  I  re- 
plied, "  You  cannot  stop  me."  He  smiled  de- 
risively, and  ordered  his  men  to  form  into  line 
and  see  to  their  arms — more  for  effect  than  for 
anything  else,  I  surmised. 

Suiting  my  actions  to  the  bustling  of  the 
men  and  the  noise  of  their  arms,  I  lifted  Harry 
to  his  feet  and  deliberately  pushed  a  passage 
through  the  crowd.  Then,  as  I  passed  out 
beyond  the  bars,  I  turned  and  shouted  out, 
"  Salam  to  the  Havildar  Sahib !  " 

Nothing  but  my  control  of  temper  and  my 
determination  had  stood  me  in  good  stead  and 
helped  us  to  clear  ourselves.  The  garrison 
looked  astounded,  and  the  Havildar  was  the 
picture  of  blank  amazement. 

Something  to  the  effect  that  here  was  the 
strangest  Feringhi  he  had  ever  seen,  passed 
his  gritted  teeth,  followed  by  the  mutterings 
of  the  garrison. 

Even  the  coolies  away  up  above  us  noticed 
our  passing  out  through  the  bars  in  spite  of 


ON  INDIA  's  FRONTIER.  85 

the  guards,  and  stopped  to  watch  with  evident 
anxiety  the  outcome  of  such  action,  while 
Harry  himself  realized  that  some  ill-boding 
menace  had  been  overcome,  for  he  remarked: 
"  It  seems  to  me  we  had  a  pretty  close  shave 
through  those  bars  !  " 

I  made  some  response  by  way  of  enourage- 
ment,  though  I  mentally  confessed  to  a  feeling 
of  unpleasant  misgivings  lest  we  had  not  seen 
the  last  of  our  Havildar  friend  and  his  armed 
attendants. 

Accordingly  I  urged  the  poor  boy  to  quicken 
his  pace,  saying  it  would  be  advisable  to  put 
as  much  distance  as  possible  between  the  gar- 
rison and  ourselves. 

The  ascent  was  still  steep,  but  not  so  bad  as 
the  portion  we  had  already  surmounted,  and 
we  hoped  in  another  hour  to  reach  the  top  of 
the  pass.  Half  an  hour  dragged  out  its  lag- 
ging minutes,  as  we  plodded  wearily  on  and 
up,  and  just  as  I  was  thinking  how  foolish  I 
had  been  to  indulge  in  any  misgivings,  we 
heard  shoutings  behind  us,  and  turned  to  find 
the  Havildar  (this  time  in  uniform  and  his 
sword  belted  about  him)  accompanied  by  half 


86  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

a  dozen  of  his  sentries,  carrying-  their  muskets, 
at  times  running  and  then  walking,  in  their 
effort  to  overtake  us. 

At  once  I  surmised  their  purport.  They 
had  evidently  been  thinking  the  matter  over 
since  we  were  allowed  to  pass,  and  had  re- 
gretted their  failure  to  offer  us  any  serious 
resistance. 

Up  they  came,  panting,  breathless,  and 
rudely  shouted,  "You  must  go  back  with  us." 
I  turned  and  faced  them  sternly,  and  in  a  firm, 
but  polite,  tone  required  of  them  some  reason 
for  their  unseemly  pursuit  of  us.  Then,  ad- 
dressing the  Havildar,  I  asked  if  he  took  us  for 
robbers,  as  any  one  would  suppose  we  were,  I 
said,  judging  from  the  threatening  manner  in 
which  they  had  pursued  us  weapon  in  hand. 
Besides,  had  he  not,  only  half  an  hour  ago, 
tacitly  acquiesced  in  our  passing  through  his 
garrisoned-  enclosure?  "No!"  he  shouted, 
"you  must  go  back."  I  told  him  I  would  do 
nothing  of  the  kind.  "  Well,"  he  said,  "  I  will 
make  you,  or  take  the  consequences."  At  that 
he  turned  to  his  men  and  ordered  them  to  ap- 
proach with  their  weapons  ready.  This  scene 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  87 

quite  overcame  Harry,  and  he  tottered  and 
sank  to  the  ground.  The  coolies  with  our 
servant  up  in  the  pass  stood  stock  still. 

I  now  became  fully  aroused,  and  made  no 
concealment  of  my  outraged  feelings.  Turn- 
ing upon  my  asailants,  I  looked  angrily  at  the 
Havildar  and  hissed  out,  "  You  miserable 
wretch,  it  was  not  enough  for  you  to  come  up 
alone  and  thus  torment  me,  but  you  must 
bring  a  lot  of  fellow  cowards  with  you,  with 
drawn  swords  and  loaded  muskets  !  " 

"  I  tell  you  that  if  that  child  of  mine  dies, 
by  all  your  gods  I  will  require  his  blood  of 
each  one  of  you ;  and  as  for  you,  the  Havildar, 
the  chiefest  sinner  of  all,  this  time  to-morrow 
I  shall  have  audience  with  the  Maharajah  and 
require  of  him  to  send  by  hand  of  speedy  mes- 
senger a  platter,  on  which  shall  be  carried 
back  as  atonement  your  bleeding  head." 

This  last  declaration  struck  my  opponents 
as  not  only  possible  but  quite  probable,  and 
had  a  wonderful  effect  on  the  Havildar.  But 
the  reader  must  not  suppose  I  had  over-awed 
this  band  of  Gurkhas.  "  They  are  not  built 
that  way."  Although  they  stand  in  dread  of 


88  ON  INDIA'S  FRONTIER. 

their  rulers  who  possess  the  power  of  life 
and  death  and  exercise  it  summarily  they  no 
more  cared  for  me  personally  than  the  tiger  for 
the  victim  he  has  seized. 

The  Gurkha,  unlike  his  brother  of  India's 
plains — the  mild,  timid,  rice-nurtured  Hindoo 
— fights  to  the  death  against  all  odds,  and  de- 
servedly scorns  the  appellation  of  coward. 

I  need  hardly  add  that  I  was  entirely  un- 
armed as  to  my  person  beyond  a  light  bamboo 
stick,  as  an  alpenstock,  and  it  was  only  while 
this  dramatic  scene  was  culminating  that 
there  flashed  across  my  brain  the  recollection 
of  a  long-forgotten  six-shooter — America's 
latest  patent — packed  away  in  my  bag,  and 
which  might  stand  me  in  good  stead  should 
matters  be  pushed  further.  I  must  confess, 
however,  that  I  had  not  the  remotest  idea  of 
handling  this  weapon,  being  a  thorough  be- 
liever in  persuasion  over  powder,  so  that  such 
an  extreme  recourse  was  no  sooner  thought  of 
than  dismissed. 

As  stated,  the  Havildar  was  suddenly  im- 
pressed with  the  probable  realization  of  my 
threat,  for  without  any  special  effort  of  the 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  89 

imagination  he  evidently  saw  his  head  passing 
along  that  same  path  on  a  platter  on  the  top 
of  another  head — that  of  the  coolie  messenger 
— speeding  back  to  his  royal  master.  He  at 
once  changed  his  demeanor.  He  ordered  his 
men  to  fall  back,  and  in  an  altered  tone  and 
polite  way  asked  if  I  would  return  to  his  gar- 
rison quarters. 

"  Ah,  Havildar  Sahib,"  I  said,  "  you  now 
talk  like  a  respectable  Gurkha — a  brave  people 
that  I  have  always  admired.  Had  you  spoken 
to  me  in  that  way  when  first  we  met,  I  might 
have  complied  with  your  wishes,  but  it  is  not 
possible  now  for  me  to  go  back.  I  belong 
to  a  great  nation  that  will  do  anything  for 
anybody  if  asked ;  but,  like  you,  we  will  never 
be  driven,  no  matter  what  the  odds,"  and  I 
eyed  his  men  and  their  muskets  with  a  signifi- 
cant smile. 

"  What  I  now  propose  is  that  you  send  me 
under  an  armed  escort  to  Khatmandu,  where, 
if  your  Maharajah  proscribes  me,  or  does  not 
sanction  the  perwana  I  hold  from  the  Resi- 
dent, then  I  promise  to  return  with  your 
guard,  and  you  can  deport  me  out  of  your 


90  ON  INDIA'S  FRONTIER. 


country.  Anyway,  I  assure  you  I  will  not 
allow  the  least  "blame  to  be  attached  to  you 
by  your  superiors." 

This  speech  had  the  desired  effect  on  the 
mind  of  the  Havildar,  for  with  all  his  rough 
exterior  he  had  in  him  the  stuff  that  has  made 
the  Gurkha  name  famous  in  military  annals. 

He  ordered  his  men  to  return  to  their  quar- 
ters, told  me  I  could  proceed  without  inter- 
ference, apologized  for  his  rudeness,  remarking 
that  he  was  not  accustomed  to  meet  such  a 
sahib,  and  that  he  should  never  forget  me. 
This  promise  he  and  his  subordinates  well 
fulfilled  some  weeks  later,  when,  on  our  return 
journey,  they  came  out  a  mile  or  more  to  meet 
us,  escorted  us  to  their  quarters,  did  every- 
thing possible  for  our  comfort,  while  we  put 
up  in  their  midst  for  the  night,  and  the  next 
morning  when  bidding  us  a  hearty  goodbye, 
the  old  Havildar,  acting  as  chief  spokesman, 
came  up  with  a  smile  that  lit  up  his  jagged 
features  and  said,  "  You  are  a  sahib  that  will 
not  require  a  perwana  with  us  in  the  future." 


^    rt 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  91 


CHAPTER  XII. 
OUR    FIRST   VIEW   OF   KHATMANDU. 

On  arriving  at  the  summit  of  the  pass,  we 
threw  ourselves  down  to  get  some  rest  and 
waited  for  our  servant  to  prepare  breakfast. 
Harry  was  quite  prostrated,  but  had  been 
buoyed  up  by  the  excitement.  The  cold,  crisp 
air,  too,  had  the  effect  of  a  tonic,  and  we  both 
at  once  became  absorbed  in  a  prospect  not 
often  presenting  such  extreme  contrasts. 

Eternal  winter  sat  perched  upon  peaks  con- 
fronting us,  whose  mantle  of  purity  had  never 
been  denied  by  the  foot  of  man.  Eternal 
summer  reigned  in  the  narrow  valleys  at  our 
feet,  variegated  like  patchwork  with  the  dif- 
ferent shades  of  crops  raised  in  their  little  ter- 
raced fields  in  rotation  by  the  frugal  peasantry, 
whose  small  mud  houses  formed  mere  dots  up 
the  mountain  sides.  Far  behind  stretched  the 
immense  plain  of  upper  Bengal  which  we  had 


92  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 

so  wearily  traversed,  overhung  with  murkiness 
that  was  suggestive  of  a  hot  sun  and  ground 
radiating  a  fierce  heat. 

About  us  played  the  cool  breezes  wafted  from 
the  snows,  singing  after  each  other  in  and  out 
of  the  fir  tree  tops  when  they  would  go  to 
swell  the  grand  chorus  that  came  floating  up 
at  intervals  from  over  the  low  lying  ranges 
and  out  of  valleys  thousands  of  feet  below  us 
— a  chorus  formed  by  the  combined  hallelujahs 
of  a  multitude  of  silvery  streams  in  their  fare- 
well descent  from  the  "abodes  of  the  blest." 

Breakfast  over  and  we  at  once  began  to  de- 
scend, gratified  to  find  that  the  path  was  not 
so  steep  as  the  one  by  which  we  had  ascended 
to  the  top  of  the  pass.  Heavy  overshadowing 
forests  cut  off  all  our  view,  though  the  peeps 
we  got  here  and  there  revealed  an  almost  per- 
pendicular fall  before  us  of  some  thousands  of 
feet  into  a  narrow,  rugged  gorge  whose  bottom 
was  strewn  with  boulders  and  granite  blocks, 
big  as  "double-storied  houses."  There  they 
lay  in  the  bed  of  a  large  stream,  the  Markhu, 
twisting  and  churning  its  waters  into  milky 
foam. 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  93 

It  was  noon  before  we  reached  the  bottom. 
Here  the  increased  temperature  made  living 
almost  unbearable.  We  passed  through  a 
small  thatched  village  that  lined  the  road  and 
so  near  the  bank  of  the  Markhu  that  it  must 
stand  a  good  chance  of  being  carried  away  in 
the  monsoon.  Beyond  rose  a  high,  rickety, 
wooden  bridge  over  which  our  road  was  car- 
ried and  at  an  elevation  fully  a  hundred  feet 
above  the  bed  of  the  stream,  showing  what  the 
constructor  of  the  bridge  thought  of  the  possi- 
ble rise  of  the  river  in  a  flood;  and  he  was  right, 
for  50  to  100  feet  we  found  in  such  deep  narrow 
valleys  was  not  an  unusual  rise. 

We  did  not  care  to  mount  this  high,  airy 
bridge,  but  passed  through  the  bed  of  the 
stream  upon  a  temporary  structure  of  brush 
and  stones  so  common  in  the  Himalayas, 
thrown  across  streams  during  the  fair  weather 
months,  with  enough  passages  underneath  to 
let  the  water  flow  through. 

For  the  first  time  since  leaving  the  Terai 
our  road  now  began  to  be  bordered  with 
cultivated  fields,  small  for  want  of  room,  but 
very  fertile,  with  pretty  little  houses  scattered 


94  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 

about,  surrounded  by  winter  wheat,  radishes 
and  other  growing  cold  weather  crops — the 
pleasing  beneficial  results  of  thrift  and 
patient  husbandry.  The  country  grew  more 
thickly  populated,  the  peasantry  we  found 
courteous  and  hospitable,  and  when  Harry 
gave  out  completely,  we  were  conducted  to  a 
shady  veranda  of  a  neat  house  beside  the  road 
and  made  comfortable. 

After  a  long  rest  Harry  awoke  refreshed, 
partook  of  some  broth  and  declared  we  should 
not  stop  on  his  account ;  so  we  again  packed 
up  and  proceeded.  We  crossed  and  recrossed 
the  Markhu  several  times  by  the  fair  season 
bridges,  already  described,  cams  to  the  fine 
large  Powah,  also  called  Markhu  like  the 
stream,  but  being  distant  from  any  village  it 
was  not  suited  to  us  owing  to  the  difficulty  of 
procuring  food  supplies,  so  we  pressed  on  hav- 
ing to  make  an  abrupt  ascent  out  of  the  Mark- 
hu valley  of  two  to  three  thousand  feet.  This 
brought  us  to  high  open  ground  well  cleared 
and  cultivated,  the  houses  of  the  peasantry 
astonishing  us  by  running  up  to  three,  and 
even  four  and  five  stories,  with  their  roofs 
covered  by  tiny  flat  tiles. 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  95 

Just  at  dusk  we  entered  the  flourishing 
town  of  Chitlong,  or  Chota  Nepal,  some  thir- 
teen miles  from  Bhimphedi,  and  passed  the 
night  in  a  rectangular  open  building,  border- 
ing the  road,  but  very  much  out  of  repair. 
Could  we  only  have  gone  on  another  mile,  we 
would  have  come  to  a  very  fine  large  Powah, 
but  the  darkness  forbade  this.  We  also 
learned  that  there  were  much  better  quarters 
inside  the  town,  close  to  the  place  where  we 
had  put  up,  but  we  did  not  care  to  go  there,  it 
being  as  we  found  already  occupied  by  a  large 
noisy  party  belonging  to  some  of  the  Nepal 
princes  journeying  down  into  India  on  the 
backs  of  seven  elephants.  How  these  monsters 
manage  to  go  over  such  ground  as  we  had 
traversed,  and  how  they  surmount  the  high 
passes,  is  a  mystery,  and  must  be  seen  to  be 
believed  and  appreciated. 

Our  Chitlong  night  suddenly  developed 
into  a  stormy  one,  the  rain  and  mist  being 
driven  through  our  too  freely  ventilated  build- 
ing by  violent  gusts  of  wind.  We  managed, 
however,  to  keep  dry  and  by  morning  the 
storm  cleared,  when  the  temperature  as  sud- 


96  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 

denly  fell,  producing  cold  that  chilled  us 
through  and  forced  us  to  rise  and  move  about 
to  start  up  our  circulation. 

We  were  determined  to  make  one  forced 
march  that  day,  and,  if  possible,  reach  Khat- 
mandu  by  evening,  the  distance  being  only 
fifteen  miles.  However  a  high  pass  intervened 
which  we  would  have  to  surmount,  and  this 
caused  us  some  doubts.  At  all  events  we  de- 
cided to  make  the  attempt,  and  if  Harry's 
fever,  which  had  not  returned  since  the  past 
night,  did  not  meanwhile  come  on  again,  we 
felt  sure  of  covering  the  whole  distance  by 
night-fall. 

Our  progress  at  first  was  along  a  fair  road 
slightly  ascending  between  two  spurs  that 
met  on  the  Chundragiri  range,  where,  in  a  de- 
pression on  the  ridge  and  at  a  point  7, 1 86  feet 
above  sea  level,  was  situated  the  Pass  of  the 
same  name  as  the  range  over  which  we  had 
to  climb.  After  accomplishing  two  miles  we 
began  the  steep  ascent,  and  it  was  while 
tugging  away  to  reach  the  top,  that  Harry's 
fever  again  set  in,  causing  us  grave  doubts 
about  getting  through  that  day. 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  97 

Half-way  up  we  fell  in  with  a  string  of 
coolies  (they  always  like  to  travel  in  large 
companies)  carrying  cotton  twist,  cloth, 
Swedish  matches,  American  kerosene,  country 
soap,  pig-iron  and  copper  ware.  What  struck 
us  as  odd  was  that  these  coolies  had  them- 
selves hired  other  coolies  at  Chitlong  to  help 
in  carrying  their  loads  for  them  up  over 
the  pass.  One  poor  half-famished,  gaunt-look- 
ing fellow  told  me  he  was  carrying  a  bundle 
of  saffron  weighing  over  a  hundred-weight,  all 
the  way  from  Benares  to  Khatmandu,  some 
three  hundred  miles,  and  had  been  marching 
steadily  twenty-seven  days,  receiving  for  such 
an  undertaking  the  high  inducement  fee  of 
seven  rupees  (or  about  ten  shillings,  equivalent 
to  $2.40 !)  Out  of  this  he  was  paying  to  have 
this  load  carried  up  the  pass  for  him. 

More  than  once  we  had  occasion  to  notice 
the  quantities  of  country  soap  made  in  small 
balls,  sewed  up  in  cloth  bags,  weighing  up  to 
two  hundred  pounds,  that  were  brought  from 
Mozufferpur  and  other  neighboring  Indian 
towns  (where  they  were  manufactured)  into 
Nepal.  The  business  must  be  a  large  one. 


98  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

By  10  a.  m.,  we  reached  the  top  of  Chundra- 
giri  (meaning  the  "  Moon  mountain ")  pass, 
and  found  the  ground  whitened  by  hail  stones 
of  the  previous  night's  storm,  and  covered 
with  hoar  frost,  though  the  sun  was  shining 
brightly.  Our  eyes  were  now  treated  to  a  re- 
cherche banquet  covering  such  a  stupendous 
spread,  and  composed  of  such  innumerable 
courses  that  no  pen  of  a  ready  writer  or  brush 
of  a  master  painter  could  ever  portray  and  do 
it  justice.  Chitlong  and  its  valley  lay  on  one 
side  of  us;  on  the  other,  and  at  a  greater 
depth,  stretching  out  east  and  west,  was  the 
valley  of  Nepal  proper,  twenty-five  miles  by 
ten.  This  valley  is  more  like  a  plain,  where 
no  doubt  once  rose  and  fell  the  waters  of  a 
vast  lake,  before  it  had  worn  for  itself  the  only 
outlet  through  the  encircling  chain  of  highest 
mountains,  by  what  now  marks  the  course  of 
the  Bagmati  stream.  This  outlet  once  secured, 
the  waters  of  the  lake  were  drained  off,  leav- 
ing the  bed  to  form  the  present  fertile  valley. 

In  its  centre,  plainly  visible  to  our  unaided 
sight,  figured  the  houses,  palaces,  pagodas  and 
temples  of  the  capital  city  of  Khatmandu,  lo- 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  99 

cated  between  the  two  streams  of  Bagmati 
and  Vishnumati.  Close  by  and  south  of  it 
extended  another  city,  the  old  capital  Patan, 
while  far  beyond,  at  the  head  ot  the  valley, 
appeared  Bhatgaon,  a  still  older  capital.  All 
about  were  thickly  scattered  farm  houses,  sur- 
rounded by  extensive  cultivations,  and  as  if 
the  level  of  the  valley  did  not  afford  sufficient 
room  for  the  crops,  the  fields  were  carried  a 
long  distance  up  the  picturesque  slopes  that 
everywhere  encircled  the  mountain  sides. 
Above  the  fields  extended  the  forests  that  soon 
belitttled  themselves  as  they  approached  the 
abodes  of  snow  and  completely  retired  from 
the  presence  of  a  perfect  sea  of  crowned 
heads  culminating  in  that  white-headed,  grey- 
bearded  monarch,  old  Everest,  29000  ft.  high. 

This  monster,  though  a  hundred  miles  off, 
was  distinctly  visible  as  his  bifurcated  cone- 
like  head  pierced  the  sky  and  formed  the 
farthest  point  visible  in  a  north-easterly  direc- 
tion, though  we  tried  our  best  to  penetrate  the 
blue  beyond  and  get  a  peep  at  our  familiar 
Darjeeling  friend,  Kinchenjunga. 

Finding  this  impossible,  we  ran  our  eye 


100  ON  INDIA'S  FRONTIER. 

along  the  towering  heads  and  shoulders  of  the 
giants  nearer  to  us,  flashing  their  brilliants  in 
the  sunlight. 

Fully  one-third  of  the  extensive  visible 
horizon  we  found  was  required  to  give  suffi- 
cient accommodation  to  this  aged  royal  as- 
sembly. Out  of  their  number  the  nearest  to 
us  were  Gosain  Than,  26,000  feet,  Yassa,  24,000 
feet,  Matsiputra,  24,400,  and  Diwalgiri, 
26,800.  And  as  we  looked  up  to  them  from  our 
own  lofty  position  in  the  grand  stillness  of  that 
magnificent  morning,  we  were  inspired  with 
awe  at  the  sublime  spectacle,  and  felt  an  in- 
clination to  uncover  our  heads ;  for  they 
seemed  to  have  penetrated  into  the  very  pre- 
cincts of  heaven  and  communed  with  the  In- 
visible whose  glories  they  reflected.  What 
wonder  that  the  Hindoo  associates  with  each 
one  of  these  tremendous  peaks  the  abode  of 
some  of  his  deities,  and  thus  has  formed, 
clustered  about  him,  a  grander  pantheon  than 
the  Greeks  ever  conceived  of !  The  Himalayas 
(or  the  "abode  of  snow  "  as  the  name  signifies) 
might  more  fittingly  be  termed  the  "  Abode 
of  the  Infinite." 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  101 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

WE   ARRIVE   AT   THE   NEPAL   CAPITAL. 

It  was  while  our  thoughts  were  thus  ab- 
sorbed in  the  grand  panorama  described  in 
the  previous  chapter,  when  like  one  in  Holy 
Writ  we  might  have  exclaimed  "  It  is  good  for 
us  to  be  here,"  that  our  coolies  caught  up 
with  us  and  broke  the  spell,  forcing  us  to  de- 
scend to  the  coutemplation  of  common  every- 
day affairs,  as  suddenly  as  they  occasioned 
our  descent  some  2,500  feet,  by  a  most  abrupt, 
stony,  precipitous,  slippery,  dangerous  path  to 
the  village  of  Tankote.  There  we  struck 
the  level  of  the  Nepal  valley  and  sat  down 
in  the  pleasant  veranda  of  a  neat  farm  house 
to  partake  of  our  last  meal  before  going  on 
to  the  city,  still  ten  miles  distant,  though 
over  a  level,  bridged,  carriage-made  road  as 
we  afterwards  found.  There  to  our  surprise 
we  met  a  Calcutta-built  carriage  (imported 


102  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

in  sections)  drawn  by  a  couple  of  walers, 
(Australian  bred  horses). 

Harry's  fever  had  now  left  him  though  he 
had  had  quite  a  tussle  with  it,  and  while  the 
attack  was  not  quite  so  long-  as  that  of  the  pre- 
vious day  (perhaps  from  not  giving  away  to  it) 
yet  it  had  left  him  weaker.  While  waiting  for 
our  lunch  to  be  got  ready,  we  had  a  look  around 
and  were  particularly  struck  with  the  large 
number  of  trees  and  birds,  as  being  the  same 
we  were  accustomed  to  in  Tropical  India,  but 
owing  to  Nepal's  elevation  above  the  sea 
(4,500  feet),  they  appeared  somewhat  modified, 
suggesting  a  compromise  between  the  tropics 
and  the  temperate  zone. 

We  were  in  the  midst  of  our  lunch  when  the 
mother  of  one  of  the  Nepal  queens  passed  by 
with  two  slave  girls,  all  seated  in  a  Howdah 
perched  upon  an  elephant.  There  was  quite 
a  string  of  attendants,  palankeens,  dandies  or 
sedan  chairs,  and  coolies  following.  The 
Princess  looked  like  an  old  lady  of  light  com- 
plexion without  the  usual  disfiguring  Indian 
purdah  or  veil;  she  was  apparently  not  strong, 
yet  was  bound  for  Holy  Kasi  (the  Hindoo's 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  103 

name  for  Benares)  on  a  pilgrimage,  to  bathe 
in  the  sanctifying  stream,  propitiate  the  dei- 
ties with  votive  offerings  to  return  with  a 
quieted  conscience  and  a  cleaner  soul.  The 
Princess  and  her  slaves  descended  from  the 
elephant  near  us  and  entered  palankeens,  not 
daring  to  make  the  ascent  of  Chundragiri 
perched  upon  his  lofty  back.  This  emphasized 
the  criticisms  that  we  had  made  upon  the 
policy  of  such  a  powerful  and  independent 
State  as  Nepal  in  keeping  up  its  only  direct 
communication  with  the  outside  world  by  a 
mere  path  for  its  highway. 

It  was  evident  that  Nepal,  from  motives  of 
supposed  policy  had  done  her  best  to  utilize 
the  barriers  of  nature  for  rendering  access  to 
her  soil  most  difficult.  This  might  have  an- 
swered the  requirements  of  by-gone  times,  but 
as  the  writer  afterwards  informed  some  of  the 
Nepalese  princes,  such  an  out-of-date  policy 
was  now  simply  suicidal.  The  lack  of  easy 
communication  was  made  specially  aggravat- 
ing at  that  time  by  the  fact  that  the  telegraph 
though  brought  to  their  borders  was  not 
allowed  to  be  extended  to  their  capital  city. 


104  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

I  added  that  nature  had  evidently  intended 
the  most  feasible  course  out  from  their  valley 
to  be  via  the  Bagmati,  and  this  would  readily 
bring  them  into  India,  from  which  quarter 
they  had  nothing  to  fear  and  much  to  gain. 
For  pledged  as  England  was  to  be  her  ally, 
should  ever  an  occasion  arise  for  her  to  send 
troops  into  Nepal,  she  would  not  march  them 
over  the  passes  of  Cisagurdi  and  Chundragiri, 
but  her  engineers  would  adopt  a  much  easier 
route,  simplified  by  nature  like  the  one  above 
indicated.  Why,  therefore,  should  they  not 
also  take  advantage  for  themselves  of  a  more 
available  road,  thereby  enlarging  trade,  de- 
veloping their  revenues  and  building  up  a 
prosperous,  enlightened  State  2  But  more  of 
this  afterwards. 

It  was  now  3  p.  m.,  so  packing  up  for  the 
last  time,  we  started  with  our  coolies  and 
reached  the  city  gate  by  sundown.  We  passed 
through  narrow,  filthy  streets  for  a  mile,  then 
got  out  on  the  other  side  of  the  city,  whence 
we  were  conducted  into  the  limits  of  the 
British  Residency  grounds,  and  here  in  a 
small  building  set  apart  for  travelers  we  found 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  105 


grateful  shelter  and  congratulated  ourselves 
on  having  accomplished  the  distance  of  about 
one  hundred  miles  from  Segowli  in  a  week 
without  any  serious  mishap. 

The  following  is  a  resume  of  our  itinerary 
showing  hours  of  actual  travel : 

Darjeeling  to  Calcutta  ...  26  hours:  375  miles  by  railway. 

Calcutta  to  Segowli 22      "  440      "        "        " 

Segowli  to  Persowny  .  .  .  .  10      "  26 

Parsowny  to  Semrabassa  .8      "  10 

Semrabassa  to  Bechiakho  4      "  10 

Bechiakho  to  Hetowdad..  5  "  12      (•  SS^fe 

Hetowdah  to  Bhimphedi .  12  "  15 

Bhimphedi  to  Chitlong  .  .  13  "  14 

Chitlong  to  Khatmandu  .12  "  15 

The  next  morning  we  received  a  kind  mes- 
sage from  the  Residency  surgeon  asking  if 
we  needed  anything.  I  sent  back  "  salams  " 
(thanks)  by  the  servant,  saying  we  required 
nothing,  and  that  I  would  call  upon  him  by 
noon.  The  doctor  and  the  Resident  are  the 
only  Europeans  dwelling  in  Nepal,  and  now 
that  the  latter  was  away,  the  doctor  was 
doing  duty  for  the  Resident  as  well. 

My  call  was  a  pleasant  one.     He  invited  me 


These  distances 
were  done  by 
daily  marches, 
mostly  on  foot, 
and  give  a  total  ot 
102  miles  accom- 


miles but  we  pre- 
ferred a  slight  de- 
tour to  secure  a 


10G  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

to  come  over  with  Harry  and  put  up  with  him. 
At  first  I  hesitated,  but  the  day  following1  we 
went  with  all  our  impedimenta  and  were  made 
very  comfortable  in  his  new  double-storied 
brick  house,  with  a  pleasant  garden,  abound- 
ing in  roses,  and  bordered  on  its  westerly  side 
by  a  grove  of  pine  trees,  beyond  which  the 
ground  rapidly  descended  into  low,  swampy 
land  laid  out  in  rice  fields — rice  being  the 
staple  crop  of  the  entire  valley.  A  Gurkha 
lieutenant,  deputed  as  the  daily  orderly  officer 
from  the  Nepal  Court  to  the  Residency  for 
carrying  messages,  now  called  on  me  at  my 
request  and  conveyed  to  the  Maharajah  my 
wish  to  see  him  and  pay  him  my  respects. 
The  term  Maharajah,  though  meaning  king, 
has  the  exceptional  use  in  this  State  of  being 
applied  to  designate  the  Prime  Minister, 
while  the  king  himself  is  called  Maharaj-ad- 
hiraj,  who  in  the  present  instance  was  a  mere 
boy  of  ten  years,  not  troubled  much  with  State 
affairs.  Our  host  was  not  very  sanguine 
about  the  old  Maharajah  caring  to  see  me, 
stating  that  he  was  a  staunch  Hindoo, 
with  a  strong  antipathy  to  Europeans  and 


HIS    MAJESTY    NEPAL  S    YOUNG    KING. 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  107 

averse  to  having  anything-  to  do  with  them ; 
certainly  not  an  encouraging  prospect.  So 
when  the  orderly  returned,  I  was  not  surprised 
to  be  informed  that  the  Maharajah  could  not 
see  me  now  but  would  be  glad  to  meet  me 
soon,  which  was  only  a  polite,  oriental  way  of 
saying  next  week,  or  next  month,  or  never. 

However,  there  was  no  alternative  but  to  wait 
until  the  interview  was  granted,  for  without 
that  indispensible  formality,  I  could  neither 
call  on  anybody  nor  attempt  to  transact  any 
business,  nor  ask  anyone  to  come  and  see  me. 
Not  knowing  all  about  these  rules  I  had  tried 
to  get  word  to  a  merchant  (who  by  the  way 
was  a  native  of  Bengal  and  hence  a  British 
subject)  to  come  and  talk  with  me  on  any  bus- 
iness or  other  matters  when  possibly  I  could 
assist  him.  He  returned  an  answer  that  he 
should  like  to  very  much,  but  that  this  was 
impossible  until  I  had  had  my  first  audience 
with  the  Prime  Minister ;  and  more  than  that 
not  till  he  himself  had  applied  and  obtained 
permission  to  meet  me,  which  he  declared 
would  on  no  condition  be  allowed  him  till  the 
Maharajah  nad  seen  and  talked  with  me ! 


108  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

Besides,  it  was  hinted,  that  if  I  expected  to 
do  any  business  with  the  Nepalese  I  must  on 
no  account  stay  within  the  limits  of  the  Resi- 
dency grounds,  for  everyone  who  went  or  came 
thither  incurred  some  degree  of  suspicion  and 
was  subject  to  strict  surveillance  from  the 
Nepal  officials,  an  ordeal  no  native  willingly 
underwent.*  This  advice  that  I  change  my 
quarters  was  all  very  well,  but  was  not  so 
easily  done  as  said,  since  no  European  on  any 
account  is  allowed  to  live  in  the  town  or  neigh- 
borhood; at  least  not  till  the  Maharajah's  ex- 
press sanction  has  been  obtained;  and  this  I 
could  not  look  for  until  after  the  oft-mentioned 
and  anxiously  expected  audience. 

So  now  there  was  nothing  left  for  us  to  do 
but  to  fill  up  as  best  we  could  the  intervening 
leisure  hours.  Fortunately  I  had  brought 
along  a  camera  and  though  able  to  secure 
only  a  few  negative  dry  plates,  which  the  past 
monsoon  had  badly  damaged,  we  determined 
to  put  them  to  good  use,  and  in  this  way  to 

*  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  there  is,  socially  speaking,  no  intercourse 
between  the  Residency  and  the  members  of  the  Nepal  court  or  Durbar. 
So  much  suspicion  might  be  allayed,  so  much  espionage  abolished,  so  much 
good  effected  by  a  pleasant  friendship  between  the  two  parties. 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  109 


occupy  ourselves  with  what  results  my  readers 
must  judge.  In  this  connection  I  would  ac- 
knowledge my  indebtedness  to  Mr.  Hoffman, 
of  the  firm  of  Messrs.  Johnson  and  Hoffman, 
photographers,  Calcutta,  for  giving  me  a  few 
'dry  plates,  and  also  for  the  accompanying 
portraits  of  the  Nepal  Princes  to  illustrate  my 
narrative. 

Mr.  Hoffman  had  come  up  from  Calcutta 
with  a  European  artist  assistant,  to  photo- 
graph the  carvings  and  other  curiosities  that 
were  being  collected  under  the  supervision  of 
of  the  Residency  surgeon  for  the  Indian  and 
Colonial  Exhibition  to  be  held  in  London 
as  well  as  to  take  what  pictures  he  could 
of  the  Nepalese  officers  and  their  court.  In 
this  he  was  very  successful  and  was  well 
patronized  as  he  richly  deserved  to  be 

Our  first  photographing  trip  was  up  .1  hill 
infested  with  monkeys,  and  crowned  with  a 
most  conspicuous  gilded  shrine  of  Swayam- 
bhunatha,  about  two  miles  towards  the  north 
of  the  Residency,  outside  the  city  walls.  To 
reach  it  we  had  to  pass  over  a  badly  paved 
road  and  when  we  got  to  the  foot  of  the  hill 


110  ON  INDIA'S  FRONTIER. 

we  came  upon  a  broad  flight  of  ancient  stone 
steps  numbering  some  three  hundred  and 
fifty,  worn  smooth  by  the  feet  of  millions  of 
devotees,  and  guarded  at  the  bottom  by  a 
couple  of  large  stone  griffins  together  with  a 
huge  statue  of  Sakya  Sinha  or  Buddha. 

The  steps  grew  steeper  as  one  ascended  and 
finally  when  the  top  was  reached,  three  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  base,  a  very  fine  view  of 
the  city  and  encircling  snow-capped  mountains 
was  obtained.  At  the  very  entrance  of  the 
collection  of  shrines  crowded  together  above 
is  an  immense  brass  thunderbolt  of  the  god 
Indra,  shaped  like  a  huge  hour-glass  laid 
across  a  pedestal  or  platform  three  feet  high 
and  plated  over  with  brass  sheets  covered 
with  animals  in  bas-relief. 

Just-back  of  this  rises  fifty  feet  high  the  solid 
rock  of  the  top  of  the  hill  cut  out  into  a  colos- 
sal Bhuddistic  dome  or  Chaitya,  surmounting 
which  there  is  a  tapering  wooden  Pagoda, 
running  up  for  another  fifty  feet,  capped  by  a 
chutter  or  umbrella  which  reflects  the  sun- 
light from  its  gilded  sides  and  is  visible  to 
the  whole  valley,  reminding  the  traveler  of 
the  pagodas  in  Burmah  raised  by  pious  hands 


TOP    OF    SWAYAMBHUNATHA    HILL    AND    SHRINE. 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  Ill 

on  every  commanding  point  along  the  Irra- 
waddy. 

This  Chaitya  formed  the  prominent  centre 
around  which  a  whole  Pantheon  of  Hindoo 
deities  in  stone  and  brass,  besides  copper 
bells,  Bhutea  prayer-wheels,  and  the  graves 
of  the  dead,  were  arranged  with  no  apparent 
order,  and  we  instinctively  looked  about  ex- 
pecting to  find  as  well  an  altar  dedicated  to 
the  Unknown  God,  for  here  at  last  was  a  spot 
where  there  was  neither  Jew  nor  Gentile, 
where  beneath  the  shadows  of  the  "Abodes  of 
the  Gods,"  the  world's  two  greatest  sects,  for- 
getting their  differences,  had  clasped  hands; 
where  Hindooism  and  Bhuddism  had  bound 
together  in  one  volume  their  Sanscrit  Shastras 
and  the  sayings  of  Sakya  Muni,  and  where  the 
Mongolian  from  Pekin  with  the  Malabari  from 
Ramyeshwar  bent  the  knee  side  by  side  in 
the  same  sacred  precincts  consecrated  alike  to 
Bhudda  and  Siva — a  striking  prophetic  illus- 
tration for  those  who  believe  in  the  great 
harmony  that  is  to  come. 

But  there  was  another  phase  to  all  this : 
The  "  shades  of  the  ancestors,"  assuming  the 
forms  of  the  most  cheeky  monkeys  the  world 


112  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

ever  saw,  disported  themselves  about,  making 
light  of  these  hallowed  scenes,  defiling  even 
the  Holy  of  Holies,  taunting  the  most  devout 
pilgrim  with  winks,  smirks  and  fiendish  grim- 
aces; then,  as  if  this  was  all  a  good  joke, 
they  would  add  injury  to  insult  by  daring,  on 
the  sly,  with  sacrilegious  paws  to  snatch  away 
the  votive  offerings  out  of  the  very  hands  of 
the  sin-stricken  penitents,  escape  with  their 
booty  and  impudently  sit  down  to  eat  it  at 
their  leisure,  perched  up  beside  the  nostrils  of 
the  gods  themselves  and  wipe  their  whiskers 
on  the  divine  heads !  What  was  most  surpris- 
ing, no  one  seemed  to  take  notice  of  them,  or 
resent  their  conduct,  and  great  was  the  aston- 
ishment manifested  by  the  monkeys  when  we 
went  at  them  for  trying  to  upset  our  camera, 
and  especially  when  one  old,  red  faced  black- 
guard, who  must  have  once  been  a  thorough 
scoundrel  of  a  Hindoo,  thought  of  appropriat- 
ing our  camera  cloth  ! 

We  here  saw  and  photographed  the  finest 
bit  of  elaborate  wood  carving  forming  the  side 
of  one  of  the  temple  buildings,  (unfortunately 
damaged  by  age)  that  is  to  be  found  in  Nepal, 
and  that  is  saying  a  good  deal. 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  113 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

STRANGE   PHOTOGRAPHIC   EXPERIENCES. 

From  Swayambhunatha  or  Symbhunath,) 
as  it  is  called  for  short)  we  made  our  next 
photographic  raid  on  the  most  sacred  of  all 
Nepal's  shrines — Holy  Pashupati — purely  Hin- 
doo, three  miles  to  the  east  of  Khatmandu 
city,  crowded  thick  with  temples,  bathing  and 
burning  ghats ;  its  rows  of  stone  steps  leading 
down  to  the  Bagmati,  covered  with  early 
morning  bathers  and  devout  worshipers,  facing 
the  sun  and  mumbling  over  their  munthra 
tJiuntJiras. 

Here,  every  February,  come  wending  their 
way  from  the  most  distant  cities  of  India  a 
gathering  of  weary  pilgrims,  numbering  as 
many  as  twenty-five  thousand,  and  without 
waiting  for  any  special  movement  of  the 
waters,  but  for  the  moon  to  become  full,  they 
have  a  dip  in  the  sanctifying  Bagmati.  Hither, 


114  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

too,  the  dead  and  dying  are  hurried  and  laid 
where  their  feet  will  be  washed  by  the  sacred 
stream,  to  ensure  for  the  soul  a  safe  and  rapid 
transit  into  the  realms  of  bliss,  and  this  cere- 
mony over,  the  body  (sometimes  even  while 
the  fluttering  spirit  is  hesitating  to  wing  its 
long  flight)  *  is  made  over  to  the  flames  of  the 
funeral  pile.  Here  also  we  were  told  was  a 
spot  where  the  forlorn  widow  used  to  commit 
suttee,  by  casting  herself  upon  the  burning 
pyre  of  her  dead  husband.  This  rite,  however, 
is  now  abolished,  the  last  recorded  instance 
being  at  the  death  of  the  previous  Maharajah, 
when  his  favorite  wife  immolated  herself  on 
his  burning  body. 

The  location  of  Pashupati  is  most  pictur- 


*  I  am  here  reminded  of  an  incident  told  me  by  the  Residency  Surgeon. 
The  young  wife  of  a  well-to-do  Hindoo  was  struck  down  by  cholera.  Our 
friend,  the  doctor,  was  called  and  he  hastened  to  attend  her.  She  rallied 
and  bade  fair  to  recover.  What  was  his  surprise  to  be  told  two  or  three  days 
later  that  the  woman  was  being  carried  at  that  very  moment  to  the 
Pashupati  burning  ghat.  He  mounted  his  horse  and  rushed  down  to  the 
place,  there  he  found  his  poor  patient  still  alive,  but  laid  out  so  that  her  feet 
touched  the  flowing  stream,  while  beside  her  the  wood  was  being  arranged 
and  the  cremation  ceremonies  were  under  way.  The  doctor  expostulated 
with  the  husband  and  relatives,  and  urged  them  to  desist  at  once  from  their 
murderous  intentions,  as  the  woman  was  not  dead.  They  finally  were  pre- 
vailed upon  to  stay  proceedings  and  to  take  the  poor  woman  home,  where 
she  survived  three  days,  and  but  for  her  rough  treatment  and  attempt  at 
premature  cremation,  she  might  have  lived  and  recovered. 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  115 

esque,  situated  on  one  side  of  the  Bagmati, 
where  the  stream  flows  through  a  gorge  with 
precipitous  banks,  a  hundred  feet  in  height. 
On  the  bank  opposite — covered  with  trees  and 
commanding  a  full  view  of  the  sacred  build- 
ings— we  focused  our  camera  and  took  the  ac- 
companying views. 

One  amusing  incident  occurred  while  taking 
the  holiest  temple  of  all — Pashupatinatha — 
with  its  gilded  pagoda  top  or  chutter.  This 
shrine  is  the  principal  one  in  Pashupati,  and 
has  silvered  doors  half  way  up  the  flight  of 
steps  leading  from  the  Bagmati  into  its  court- 
yard. We  had  just  taken  one  view  and  were 
duplicating  it,  when  one  of  the  attending 
priests  happened  to  look  up,  and  not  liking 
our  unhallowed  gaze,  though  he  had  no  idea  of 
what  we  were  doing,  slammed  the  two  silvered 
doors  together  with  great  violence,  in  exhibi- 
tion of  his  disgust.  As  we  were  much  above 
him  on  the  opposite  bank,  and  could  look  over 
into  the  court-yard  of  the  temple,  the  shutting 
of  the  doors  in  our  face,  as  it  were,  was  rather 
an  improvement  than  otherwise,  for  it  showed 
their  rich  construction  to  better  advantage. 


116  ON  INDIA'S  FRONTIER. 

This  temple  is  deemed  so  sacred  that  though 
there  is  a  public  thoroughfare  on  the  opposite 
side  from  where  we  stood,  no  European  is  al- 
lowed to  pass  along  that  portion  of  the  road 
adjacent  to  its  outer  wall  and  entrance. 

It  was  while  contemplating  this  varied  scene 
and  thinking  what  a  power  Hindooism  must 
be  to  invest  so  inaccessible  an  out-of-the-way 
corner  with  such  soul-enslaving  sanctity,  as 
to  induce  Baboos  from  Bengal,  Ascetics  from 
the  Punjab,  Brahmans  from  the  Deccan  to 
come  to  do  puja  (worship)  so  many  hundreds 
of  miles,  in  midwinter,  at  great  personal  sacri- 
fice— I  say  it  was  while  pondering  over  all  this 
that  the  thought  expressed  at  the  beginning 
of  this  account  was  suggested  for  the  partic- 
ular benefit  of  any  possible  readers  among 
my  large  circle  of  esteemed  Hindoo  friends 
who  will  best  understand  the  force  of  this 
inquiry — why  we,  Vilayati  Bhurts  (freely  ren- 
dered "  of  the  foreign  priestly  Brahman  caste  " 
— that  is,  Caucasian)  could  not  lay  claim  at 
Pashupati  to  some  punya,  as  our  merited 
share,  having  come  so  many  times  further 
than  the  farthest-traveled  pilgrim  there ! 


THE    HOLY    SILVER    TEMPLE    AT    PASHUPATI. 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  117 

Another  fresh  morning  we  devoted  to  the 
interesting  tope  of  Bodhnath,  about  two  miles 
north-east  of  Pashupati,  a  purely  Bhuddistic 
shrine,  without  any  mixture  of  Hindooism. 

It  is  an  immense,  artificially-prepared,  white- 
washed chaitya  of  bricks  and  mortar,  with 
long  rows  of  circular  steps  or  terraces,  rising 
in  diminishing  circles,  one  above  the  other,  to 
the  height  of  fifty  feet,  where  the  top  of  the 
tope  is  reached.  Out  of  that  rises  an  equally 
tall  wooden  pillar,  or  Bhuddistic  minaret,  sur- 
mounted by  a  gilded,  brazen  chutter,  the  um- 
brella being  fringed  with  little  bells  having 
long,  flat  tongues.  These  every  passing  breeze 
causes  to  tinkle  forth  prayers,  which  at  that 
elevation,  so  much  nearer  heaven,  getting  the 
start,  precede  and  help  to  give  greater  accept- 
ance before  the  great  throne  to  the  petitions 
rising  from  the  devotees  themselves  below, 
as  they  make  their  peregrinations  around  the 
circular  base  of  the  chaitya,  some  two  hundred 
feet  in  diameter. 

What  is  more,  further  to  ensure  divine  hear- 
ing, the  praying  supplicants,  as  they  walk 
their  rounds,  encircling  over  and  over  again 


118  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

this  imposing  tope,  give  twirls  to  the  many 
prayer  wheels  (over  a  foot  long  and  not  half 
as  broad)  arranged  in  a  double  row  in  niches  in 
the  masonry  of  the  chaitya,  keeping  time  to 
their  step  by  chanting  over- and- over  the  sim- 
ple, expressive  prayer  that  has  consoled  mil- 
lions, being  the  first  words  lisped  by  the 
infant,  the  last  breathed  forth  by  the  dying  :— 
"Om  Mani  Padmi  horn" — O  God,  the  Jewel 
in  the  Lotus.  Amen ! — or,  O  God,  let  me 
attain  perfection,  and  obtain  eternal  bliss. 
Amen. 

All  around  this  Bhuddistic  shrine  is  a  dou- 
ble storied  range  of  buildings  with  shops 
below  and  dwellings  above,  completely  en- 
circling the  tope  in  a  kind  of  courtyard. 
During  winter  this  place  is  filled  with  hun- 
dreds of  Bhuteas  and  Thibetians,  who  come 
in  caravans  bringing  skins,  woolen  stuffs, 
bricks  of  tea,  musk  and  gold  dust — some  of 
these  articles  on  their  own  backs,  and  the  rest 
laden  on  ponies,  mules,  yakes  and  goats. 

We  picked  up  some  curiosities  here,  such  as 
ornaments  for  women,  some  elaborate  ones 
set  with  turquoises.  .  . . 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  119 

I  should  have  stated  earlier,  that  whenever 
we  ventured  outside  the  Residency  grounds, 
we  were  required,  from  motives  of  policy,  to 
have  an  orderly,  or  Nepalese  soldier  precede 
us  and  to  carry  a  sepoy  of  the  Residency 
Guard  with  us,  and  thus  attended  we  used  to 
make  our  various  trips,  followed  by  a  coolie 
bearing  our  camera. 

That  it  was  necessary  to  be  thus  always 
provided  with  such  a  guard  of  honor  I  now 
question,  for  we  have  only  the  pleasantest 
recollections  of  all  our  excursions,  and  re- 
ceived nothing  but  courtesy  and  kindness 
from  prince  and  peasant. 

Just  as  we  were  getting  somewhat  im- 
patient at  not  hearing  from  the  Maharajah 
and  at  his  not  appointing  a  day  for  our  in- 
terview, word  came  through  the  orderly  officer 
that  His  Excellency,  General  Runudip  Sing, 
K.  C.  S.  I.  (Knight  Commander  of  the  Star  of 
India)  would  be  pleased  to  fix  upon  Tuesday 
in  the  following  week  to  have  me  call.  This 
would  bring  about  our  meeting  on  the  thir- 
teenth day  from  the  date  of  our  arrival,  and 
was  sooner  than  our  fears  had  allowed  us  to 


120  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 

expect,  realizing  how  painfully  slow  a  course 
affairs  are  allowed  to  take  in  the  East. 

The  few  intervening  days  were  spent  in 
going  about  the  city  and  in  visiting  Balaji,  a 
Hindoo  shrine  about  a  mile  and  a  half  north- 
west of  the  Residency,  and  to  reach  which,  we 
passed  along  a  well  made  road  completely 
arched  over  by  a  fine  avenue  of  willows.  This 
road  was  the  work  of  Sir  Jung  Bahadur,  who 
had  an  excellent  wooden  bridge,  resting  on 
stout  piles  constructed  for  it,  where  it  crossed 
the  Vishnumati  stream. 

The  deity  that  interested  us  most  at  Balaji 
was  a  huge  recumbent  figure  of  Siva,  with  an 
immense  cobra  de  capello  entwined  about  him, 
the  whole  resting  on  the  petals  of  an  open 
lotus  flower — all  cut  out  of  solid  rock — and 
made  to  appear  as  though  floating  on  the 
surface  of  the  water  in  the  midst  of  a  tank. 
Women  were  offering  rice  and  flowers  in  con- 
nection with  their  morning  devotions.  There 
were  a  series  of  other  tanks  close  by,  built 
over  the  beds  of  springs  and  so  constructed  as 
to  let  the  overflowing  water  pass  off  through 
figured  stone  spouts  in  graceful  streams  from 
one  tank  into  another. 


THE    SACRED    FLOWING    TANKS    AT    BALAJI. 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  121 

The  great  attraction  here  were  the  hundreds 
of  sacred  fish  large  and  small,  very  tame,  and 
fed  at  Government  expense. 

As  a  background  to  Balaji  rose  the  moun- 
tain of  Nagarjun  to  a  height  of  many  thousand 
feet  covered  with  thick  forest.  All  around  its 
base  ran  a  masonry  wall,  extending  over 
twelve  miles,  and  built  at  great  expense.  It 
enclosed  a  vast  game  preserve  where  all  kinds 
of  animals  were  reared  for  affording  the 
princes  occasional  sport.  We  were  told  that 
even  golden  pheasants  and  white  peacocks 
brought  at  great  expense  from  China  were 
here  turned  loose  with  the  hope  of  their  thriv- 
ing, but  the  venture  proved  a  failure. 

On  the  stone  slabs  surmounting  the  Balaji 
tanks  we  were  shown  reddish  spots  like  blood 
stains,  which  the  guard  in  charge  of  the  place 
declared  had  rained  down  in  the  storm  that 
overtook  us  the  week  previous  at  Chitlong, 
and  which  he  in  great  earnestness  assured  us 
was  a  bad  omen,  portending  an  early  calamity, 
and  that  the  same  had  happened  before  in 
Nepal  history  with  dreadful  realization.  We 
smiled  incredulously,  dismissed  the  remark 
from  our  thoughts  and  went  on. 


122  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

Our  rambles  in  the  city  itself  secured  us 
some  characteristic  pictures,  and  much  insight 
into  Nepal  daily  life.  One  of  the  best  general 
views  obtained  of  the  city  buildings  and  lanes, 
was  from  the  top  of  the  Dharera  a  substantial 
masonry  pillar,  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
high,  containing  a  winding  staircase  and  built 
by  General  Bhimasena  Thapa  in  1856.  It  re- 
sembled a  lighthouse  in  all  but  the  light  which 
it  lacked. 

Permission  had  to  be  obtained  to  ascend  it, 
which  was  readily  secured,  and  from  its  nar- 
row masonry  apertures  we  could  look  down  on 
one  side  and  see  several  thousand  Gurkha 
soldiers  going  through  various  drill  move- 
ments under  officers  dressed  in  English  uni- 
forms, who,  in  order  to  be  consistent,  shouted 
out  their  various  commands  in  English,  though 
none  of  the  troops  understood  that  language. 

The  esplanade  where  the  troops  paraded 
was  a  splendid  stretch  of  ground,  all  made  and 
leveled  at  great  expense,  running  close  along 
the  city  wall  and  just  outside  of  it.  The 
troops  are  drilled  here  every  day  and  with 
slight  intermission,  often  from  morning  till 


JPV.I 


^i  *  IP  /  *  *     ^?  f 

\     " 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  123 

evening,  and  this  seems  to  be  the  one  great 
pastime  of  the  nobility.  No  games  or  other 
manly  exercises  are  at  all  popular  with  old  or 
young,  a  fact  to  be  regretted. 

Nepal  has  a  standing  army  of  15,000  men, 
drilled  and  armed  with  old  muzzle-loading 
guns,  and,  in  any  emergency,  could  put  into 
the  field  more  than  three  times  that  number, 
of  either  time-expired  men,  or  men  who  have 
some  knowledge  of  soldiering.  Indeed,  every 
family  has  to  contribute  one  of  its  male  mem- 
bers at  least  as  its  quota  to  the  military  es- 
tablishment, and  to  a  stranger  going  about 
Khatmandu  and  neighborhood  every  other 
man  he  meets  seems  to  be  a  soldier  in  dark 
blue  uniform. 

The  bulk  of  the  troops  are  infantry ;  there  is 
no  cavalry,  unless  a  mounted  guard  be  called 
such  (they  would  be  of  little  use),  and  only  a 
small  force  of  artillery.  There  are  boy  gen- 
erals and  gray-headed  old  lieutenants,  the  re- 
sults of  an  autocratic  government,  where  all 
power  is  held  by  one  who  cannot  be  questioned, 
and  who  deals  out  the  honors  to  the  nearest 
and  dearest. 


124  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 

The  maintenance  of  so  great  a  standing 
army,  out  of  all  proportion  to  her  ordinary 
needs,  is  Nepal's  greatest  mistake,  and  can  do 
her  nothing  but  harm.  There  seems  to  be  a 
perfect  craze  among  her  nobility  for  the  pro- 
fession of  arms  and  for  no  other;  thus  divert- 
ing a  good  share  of  the  revenues  and  of  .the 
country's  best  brain  and  sinew  from  channels 
where  they  could  be  far  better  employed  in 
building  up  the  prosperity  of  the  State  and 
strengthening  the  lines  of  its  independence ; 
for,  as  already  stated,  Nepal  has  nothing  to 
fear  from  India,  and  with  England  as  her 
sworn  ally  she  has  nothing  to  fear  from  Thibet. 

As  regards  India,  were  Nepal  from  any  in- 
sane cause  to  attempt  to  withstand  her,  all  her 
own  population,  added  to  all  her  troops,  could 
oppose  no  effectual  resistance,  and  history  al- 
ready has  shown  that  though  she  might  fight 
Thibet  alone  successfully,  yet  Thibet,  backed 
by  China,  is  more  than  a  match  for  her. 

No,  let  Napal  keep  an  army,  but  only  a  small 
one,  and  on  the  German  plan  let  her  educate, 
if  she  chooses,  all  her  subjects  in  military 
tactics,  so  that  when  required,  she  can  turn 


GENERAL      JIT      JUNG. 
(Late  Commander-in-Chief.) 


ON  INDIA  *S  FRONTIER.  125 

into  .the  field  at  a  moment's  notice  a  whole 
nation  of  drilled  troops.  One  cannot  help 
feeling  at  times  that  England  is  doing  her 
best,  by  her  bribes  and  presents  of  vast  stands 
of  arms  and  immense  quantities  of  ammuni- 
tion to  the  States  on  her  frontiers,  to  induce 
them  to  keep  up  a  ruinous  standing  army  for 
no  other  purpose  than  to  use  them  as  a  buffer 
against  the  growing  spectre  of  Russian  ag- 
gression towards  India.  If  true,  she  has  much 
to  answer  for,  and  much  to  suffer  from  her 
own  gifts,  should  the  buffers  turn  the  muzzles 
the  wrong  way. 

Nepal  has  made  attempts  to  manufacture 
her  own  arms  and  ammunition,  but  the  re- 
sults have  been  very  poor.  That  she  does 
not  take  hold  of  this  matter  more  intelligently 
and  efficiently  is  inexplicable  and  inconsistent 
with  her  great  fondness  for  the  profession  of 
arms. 

But  to  go  back  and  take  up  pur  camera  left 
on  top  of  the  Dharera  looking  down  on  the 
parading  Gurkhas:  On  the  opposite  side 
from  the  esplanade  lay  the  capital  city  of 
50,000  inhabitants  wedged  in  between  the 


126  ON  INDIA'S  FRONTIER. 

Bagmati  and  Vishnumati,  extending  up  from 
the  point  where  these  streams  unite,  and 
presenting  a  most  picturesque  appearance 
outwardly,  but  inwardly  reeking  with  filth; 
a  city  which  has  dunghills  for  its  foundations, 
stagnant  pools  for  ornamental  lakes,  whose 
streets  do  duty  for  drains  and  latrines,  where 
the  widest  thoroughfares  are  narrow  lanes 
wretchedly  paved,  only  fit  for  inoculated 
pedestrians.  Such  is  Khatmandu,  with  its 
ever  present  effluvia  and  stench,  so  that  it  is 
no  wonder  that  during  the  summer  just  clos- 
ing ten  thousand,  or  one-fifth  of  its  popula- 
tion had  fallen  victims  to  cholera. 

Indeed  the  wonder  is  that  they  did  not  all 
die  by  that  fell  disease,  about  which  I  had 
the  opportunity  of  telling  the  Maharajah  that 
it  was  much  more  of  a  dangerous  intruder 
than  any  European  could  be.  I  told  him, 
moreover,  that  but  for  his  making  it  so  con- 
genial for  the  loathsome  monster  to  take  up 
its  residence  in  his  Capital,  it  would  never 
come.  I  added  that  he,  the  Prince,  had  it  in 
his  power,  by  a  little  attention  to  sanitation, 
to  banish  the  wretch  so  that  it  should  never 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  127 

put  foot  in  his  dominions  again,  provided 
as  His  Excellency  was  by  the  Almighty  with 
a  climate  that  was  fatal  to  this  rabid  pariah. 

It  was  owing  to  this  unhealthy,  polluted 
state  of  the  city  that  we  disliked  much  to 
frequent  the  bazars,  streets  and  shops,  though 
each  time  we  went  we  saw  some  new  and. 
exquisite  carving,  some  temple  or  other  ob- 
ject of  interest  that  incited  us  to  go  again, 
and  each  time  we  returned  we  had  a  fit  of 
nausea. 

The  carvings  of  Khatmandu  are  certainly 
the  most  elaborate  and  profuse  of  any  to  be 
found  in  the  world.  Not  only  are  the  temples 
and  palaces  covered  with  carvings,  but  even 
private  dwellings,  including  often  the  door- 
ways of  the  meanest  hovels  are  loaded  with  a 
degree  of  ornamentation  that  is  simply  over- 
whelming. 

There  are  peacocks  with  outspread  tails, 
griffins,  snakes,  fruits  and  flowers,  gods  and 
goddesses,  delicate  lattice  work,  and  screens 
to  represent  the  most  graceful  artistic  designs, 
looking  at  a  distance  like  gossamer  lace  that 
might  be  marred  by  the  slightest  breeze. 


128  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

These  carvings,  however,  have  one  most 
objectionable  feature,  they  are  too  often  dis- 
figured by  the  most  outrageously  obscene 
representations,  the  reason  assigned  for  such 
gross  exhibitions  of  indecency  being  some  oc- 
cult charm,  or  some  mysterious,  magical  in- 
fluence they  have  for  warding  off  evil ! 

All  carvings  (except  a  few  in  stone)  are 
made  in  the  splendid  sal  wood  brought  up 
from  the  Terai  forests  and  are  the  handiwork 
of  a  class  of  artisans  who  are  paid  but  three  or 
four  pence  (eight  cents)  a  day,  whose  ranks  are 
growing  rapidly  thin  for  want  of  encourage- 
ment and  patronage,  a  fact  that  the  Nepal 
Government  should  at  once  take  note  of  and 
remedy  before  too  late,  seeing  that  the  public 
taste  is  degenerating  so  that  the  present  re- 
quirements are  for  a  style  of  ornamentation 
that  at  the  best  is  a  poor  class  of  painting, 
appearing  on  the  buildings  more  like  im- 
mense gaudy  daubs  than  anything  artistic. 

The  most  hideous  object  we  saw  or  photo- 
graphed was  an  immense  stone  carved  image 
of  Bhairub,  an  unmistakable  god  of  death  that 
might  well  stand  to  personify  cholera.  This 


HLOOD-THIRSTY    GOD    BHAIRUB. 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  129 

monster  is  dancing  on  a  prostrate  figure,  and 
seems  to  be  surrounded  by  an  atmosphere  of 
skulls.  He  stands  close  to  the  king's  city 
palace,  in  the  midst  of  the  central  bazar,  and 
is  built  into  a  solid  masonry  wall,  very  near 
another  important  deity  called  Hanuman  or 
the  monkey  god. 

While  picturing  Bhairub,  surrounded  by  an 
inquisitive  crowd  that  almost  crushed  us  and 
our  camera  in  their  eager  curiosity,  which  we 
always  did  our  best  to  gratify,  we  were  think- 
ing of  another  and  more  serious  crowd  that 
used  to  gather  about  this  fiendish  monster  in 
years  happily  now  past,  when  human  victims 
were  dragged  into  his  presence  and  decapi- 
tated to  satisfy  his  supposed  blood-thirstiness 
and  thereby  stay  the  ravages  of  an  epidemic, 
or  ward  off  some  impending  public  calamity! 

Thanks  to  British  influence,  and  to  the  late 
Sir  Jung  Bahadur's  enlightened  views,  the 
god  Bhairub  has  to  content  himself  nowadays 
with  the  sacrifice  of  buffaloes  and  goats, 
whose  heads  and  horns,  according  to  the  pre  - 
vailing  custom  in  Nepal,  are  nailed  up  so  as  to 
adorn  the  lintels  and  doors  of  the  neighboring 


130  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

shrines.  In  all  sacrifices  the  blood  only  is 
used  about  the  deities  while  the  flesh  is  taken 
away  and  eaten. 

Close  to  where  we  fixed  our  camera  was  an 
enormous  copper  bell,  suspended  from  four 
stone  pillars  standing  on  a  high  stone  plat- 
form, that  might  claim  twin-ship  with  the 
great  one  at  the  Kremlin  in  Moscow,  and 
would  do  credit  to  any  foundry  of  modern 
times.  But  it  would  be  a  tedious  undertaking 
to  describe  all  the  objects  that  are  here 
crowded  together  around  the  King's  city 
palace,  overtopped  by  the  gilded  and  burnished 
tapering  pagoda-temples,  whose  roofs  of 
solid  polished  plates  of  brass  and  copper  were 
dazzling  in  the  sunlight  the  most  noteworthy 
of  all  being  Taleju,  built  by  Raja  Mahindra 
Malla,  A.  D.  1 549.  I  therefore  hasten  to  that 
feature  of  the  bazar — its  shops — that  from 
business  motives  interested  us. 

We  had  to  confess  to  being  disappointed  in 
these  establishments.  They  were  smaller  and 
inferior  to  those  in  places  of  less  importance 
in  India.  The  goods,  too,  were  of  less  va- 
riety. There  were  Manchester  (England) 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  13 1 

sheetings  and  prints,  Birmingham  cutlery 
and  hardware  of  the  cheaper,  coarser  sorts, 
and  brimstone  matches. 

The  country-made  articles  were  few  and  of 
rough  description,  such  as  woolen  and  cotton 
cloth,  brass  and  ironware,  copper  bells,  and 
good,  tough,  indifferently -bleached  paper, 
made  by  hand,  in  sheets  not  quite  a  yard 
square,  out  of  the  bark  of  a  species  of  the 
Daphne. 

Each  sheet  cost  a  cent,  or  halfpenny,  and 
even  if  bought  in  quantities  would  not  be 
much  less.  It  equalled  in  strength  our  best 
parchment,  was  coarser  and  thicker,  and  was 
used  by  everybody,  including  the  Govern- 
ment, for  their  correspondence,  business  rec- 
ords and  official  documents. 


132  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

CURIOUS   RACES   AND   SOCIAL   CUSTOMS. 

Of  the  people  met  in  the  streets  each  had  to 
the  practised  eye  his  distinctive  mark  in  dress, 
cast  of  features  and  language,  showing  the 
race  to  which  he  belonged. 

There  were  Hindoos — and  under  this  head 
may  be  reckoned  first  and  foremost  the  domi- 
nant race  of  the  Gurkhas — and  the  lower  castes 
of  Magars  and  Gurungs. 

Next  may  be  mentioned  the  Bhuddists — the 
Newars,  Bhuteas,  Limbus,  Keratis,  and  Lep 
chas,  and,  if  we  except  the  Newars,  all  are  a 
dirty,  ugly  lot,  with  very  strong   Mongolian 
type  of  features. 

Last,  and  least,  are  the  Mahomedans,  com- 
posed of  Cashmeri,  Kabuli  and  Irani  (Persian) 
traders,  hardly  numbering  a  thousand. 

Of  all  the  above  named  races,  the  most  nu- 
merous are  the  Newars — a  mild,  industrious, 


LAMA    DOCTOR    AND    HIS   HOCUS   POCUS. 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  133 

good-natured  people,  the  owners  of  the  soil, 
before  the  Gurkhas  invaded  their  rights  and 
dispossessed  them,  a  full  century  ago. 

They  are  the  chief  traders,  agriculturists 
and  mechanics  of  Nepal.  Their  women  strike 
a  stranger  as  very  religiously  inclined,  for 
they  are  to  be  seen  on  various  days  visiting 
Symbhunath  and  other  shrines  in  crowds, 
equally  believing  in  Bhuddism  and  Hindoo- 
ism.  They  are  quite  light  in  complexion  and 
of  symmetrical  features,  while  a  pleasant  cus- 
tom prevailing  among  them  (even  to  some  ex- 
tent among  the  men)  is  the  wearing  of  roses 
and  other  flowers  in  their  hair,  which  is  always 
gathered  up  and  tied  into  a  long  knot  upon 
the  top  of  their  heads. 

The  women  of  the  other  classes  wear  it  plait- 
ed down  their  backs,  ending  with  a  red  tassel. 
All  the  women  have  more  freedom  than  their 
northern  India  sisters,  in  that  they  are  allowed 
to  go  in  public  without  being  closely  veiled, 
though  many  wind  a  white  sheet  around  them 
outside  of  their  clothing,  reaching  from  head 
to  foot. 

The  best  dressed  people  as  a  class  are  the 


134  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

Gurkhas,  of  good  regular  features,  but  gener- 
ally of  diminutive  stature,  though  wiry  and 
strong.  They  do  not  take  kindly  to  work  of 
any  sort,  being  essentially  a  military  race. 
They  claim  to  be  Rajputs  by  descent,  having 
been  driven  out  of  Rajputana,  in  Central 
India,  by  the  great  Mahomedan  conquerors. 

The  Princes  themselves  trace  their  lineage 
directly  back  to  the  Royal  house  of  Oodey- 
pore.  Their  language  is  Parbatiya,  a  modern 
dialect  of  Sanscrit,  and  written  in  that  charac- 
ter, while  that  of  the  Newars  is  quite  another 
language,  and  written  in  a  different  char- 
acter. 

Polygamy  is  allowed  and  practised  by  the 
well-to-do,  though  a  widow  cannot  remarry 
among  the  Gurkhas,  while  the  Newars  do  not 
object.  Early  child-marriages  are  in  vogue. 
While  we  were  there  the  present  little  king, 
ten  years  of  age,  was  having  his  nuptials  ar- 
ranged for,  we  were  told,  to  one  not  much  over 
half  his  years,  and  the  marriage  actually  took 
place  after  we  came  away. 

All  the  people  seem  to  eat  flesh  of  some 
kind,  even  that  of  buffalo  and  wild  pig.  In 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  135 

this  the  Hindoos  differ  from  their  more  south- 
ern brethren.  It  seems  strange  that  although 
the  buffalo  could  be  killed  and  eaten,  the  very 
idea  of  beef,  as  we  understand  it,  is  perfectly 
abhorrent  to  them,  and  the  killing  of  a  cow  is 
ranked  as  murder  of  the  first  degree,  and 
punishable  with  death. 

Among  our  instructions  from  the  Resi- 
dency, we  were  to  give  no  offence  in  this  re- 
spect, though  this  caution  was  quite  unneces- 
sary, as  we  had  long  ago  learned  the  lesson  to 
respect  the  religious  prejudices  of  all  nations. 
Rice  is  their  staple  diet.  Of  vegetables,  too, 
they  have  a  variety,  and  are  particularly  fond 
of  radishes  fermented  by  exposure  to  the  sun. 
Thus  prepared,  the  stuff  keeps  for  a  long  time, 
and  is  called  Sinki,  though  it  might  more  ap- 
propriately bear  another  name  similar  in 
sound,  on  account  of  its  searching  and  offen- 
sive odor. 

The  lower  classes  drink  a  liquor  which  they 
distill  from  rice,  called  Rakshi.  The  upper 
classes  are  forbidden  this  indulgence,  on  pain 
of  losing  caste.  Notwithstanding  all  injunc- 
tions to  the  contrary,  the  traffic  in  imported 


136  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 

spirits — English,  brandy,  French  wines  and  the 
like — pays  well,  showing  that  somebody  takes 
kindly  to  intoxicating  beverages,  caste  or  no 
caste.  It  seems  a  thousand  pities  that  the 
influence  of  the  white  man  tends  to  increase 
the  drinking  habits  of  all  natives  with  whom 
he  comes  in  contact.  It  is  a  well-known  fact 
that  the  youthful  members  of  the  Gurkha  no- 
bility, who  are  sent  down  to  Calcutta  for  their 
education  under  European  masters,  return 
victims  to  the  craze  for  the  strongest  foreign 
liquors,  imported  brandy  being  their  chief 
drink. 

Tea  drinking  is  very  popular  with  all  who 
can  pay  for  the  luxury,  the  tea  used  being  im- 
ported in  pressed  bricks,  brought  all  the  way 
by  caravans  from  China  via  Thibet.  Here 
is  a  market  for  which  the  India  tea  merchant 
might  compete. 

Education  and  schools  are  not  yet  estimated 
at  their  full  value,  but  there  is  a  growing  de- 
mand for  them,  and  the  Nepal  Government 
has  more  than  one  Baboo  from  the  Calcutta 
University  to  take  charge  of  quite  a  large 
school  (in  a  fine  long  brick  building  facing  the 


ON  INDIA  >S  FRONTIER.  137 

parade  ground),  composed  chiefly  of  young 
princes  and  children  of  the  upper  classes. 

Every  scrap  of  available  ground  in  the  val- 
ley of  Nepal  is  cultivated  to  exhaustion,  being 
put  under  heavy  contribution  to  yield  its  ut- 
most to  support  a  population  already  too  large 
for  its  limited  area  to  sustain. 

Even  the  mountain  sides  are  called  upon  to 
contribute  a  share,  by  having  the  fields  car- 
ried in  terraces  some  distance  upwards  towards 
the  summit,  as  already  observed. 

There  are,  to  be  sure,  half  a  dozen  other 
valleys  among  the  adjacent  mountains,  which 
afford  valuable  assistance,  and  send  in  a  good 
share  of  their  products  to  the  city,  but  they 
are  all  small,  the  largest  being  Noakot,  and  as 
it  is  lower  than  Nepal,  it  produces,  on  account 
of  its  higher  temperature,  the  fruits  raised  in 
India.  Its  oranges  are  excellent,  grown  on 
the  banks  of  the  Trisul  Gunga,  which  flows 
through  the  bottom  of  the  valley,  and  lower 
down  bears  the  name  Gunduk.  No  European 
is  allowed  to  cross  this  stream. 

I  might  mention  here  that  the  elevation  of 
the  Nepal  valley  is  estimated  at  4,500  feet 


138  ON  INDIA'S  FRONTIER. 

above  sea  level,  with  an  average  annual  rain- 
fall of  55  inches.  The  thermometer  falls  only 
now  and  then  in  winter  as  low  as  twelve  de- 
grees below  the  freezing  point ;  and  rarely  ex- 
ceeds, in  the  hottest  season,  80°  Fahrenheit. 
Thus  the  winters  are  mild  and  the  summers 
never  uncomfortably  hot. 

Owing  to  the  scarcity  of  land,  every  field  is 
made  to  yield  two  and  three  crops  a  year, 
consisting  chiefly  of  rice,  wheat,  Indian  corn, 
radishes,  garlics,  potatoes  and  red  pepper.  A 
spot  was  pointed  out  to  us  where  cardamom 
(Alpinia  cardamommn)  also  was  raised.  The 
place  is  half  a  dozen  miles  to  the  south  of 
the  city,  where  through  the  religious  zeal  of 
some  Hindoos  getting  the  better  of  their 
judgment  they  had  in  memory  of  Nasick 
and  Trimbuck,  places  of  sanctity  down  near 
Bombay,  located  there  a  fresh  source  of  the 
great  Godavery  river,  close  to  which  were 
several  large  flourishing  gardens  of  carda- 
moms, the  property  of  the  State  and  which 
yielded  the  Government  considerable  revenue. 

The  general  method  of  preparing  the  soil  in 
Nepal  is  of  the  most  rudimentary  kind,  and 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  139 

though  the  farmers  believe  in  enriching  their 
fields  by  a  regular  system  of  manuring  we 
noticed  that  tillage  was  limited  to  digging 
the  ground  by  hand  with  pickaxes — very  rarely 
did  they  make  use  of  ploughs,  which  are  of 
the  most  primitive  kind. 

Seeing  the  Nepal  valley  is  thus  taxed  to  its 
utmost  by  the  unceasing  rotation  of  crops, 
flocks  and  herds  are  scarce.  Poultry,  however, 
is  reared  in  large  quantities,  in  which  connec- 
tion the  great  pains  taken  with  the  raising  of 
ducks  amused  and  interested  us.  Every 
morning  the  peasantry  in  their  trips  to  their 
fields  would  carry  their  quacking  families,  dis- 
tributed in  baskets  suspended  from  the  ends 
of  a  bamboo  resting  on  the  shoulders  of  either 
man  or  woman.  On  reaching  their  feeding 
grounds  they  would  let  them  out  to  pasture, 
and  at  evening  drive  them  back  into  the  bas- 
kets, often  with  a  good  deal  of  trouble  and 
delay — a  sight  that  caused  us  many  a  laugh 
— and  then  swinging  the  pole  across  their 
shoulders,  which  provoked  a  most  noisy  chat- 
tering among  the  fowls,  they  trudged  home 
with  them ! 


140  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

Slavery  exists  in  Nepal.  The  number  of 
people  thus  held  in  bondage  we  were  told 
falls  not  far  short  of  30,000,  though  we  doubt 
the  accuracy  of  so  high  an  estimate.  All 
well-to-do  families  possess  slaves,and  the 
highest  classes  own  great  numbers  of  both 
sexes.  They  seem  to  be  exclusively  used 
for  domestic  work.  Most  of  the  slaves  are 
such  by  descent ,  their  forefathers  having  been 
so  for  generations.  They  are  not  imported 
from  any  other  country,  while  their  ranks  are 
augmented  at  times  by  fresh  additions  from 
free  families,  who  are  brought  into  servitude 
as  a  punishment  for  misdeeds  and  political 
crimes. 

Women  slaves  sell  for  Rs.  150  to  Rs.  250  or 
£12  to  £20  ($100),  men  slaves  for  a  little  less. 
Any  slave  having  a  child  by  her  master  can 
have  her  freedom.  Both  sexes  are  treated 
leniently,  and  with  consideration,  rendering 
them  content  with  their  bondage, 

This  whole  system,  however,  has  a  most  de- 
moralizing effect  on  account  of  the  women 
slaves  and  their  debasement. 

For  a  counteracting  influence,  as  supposed  by 


LAMA    OR    BHUDDIST    PRIEST    AT    HIS    DEVOTIONS. 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  141 

some,  each  family  has  its  own  guru  or  Brahmin 
priest,  like  a  private  chaplain.  This  office  is 
hereditary ;  at  the  same  time  there  are  thou- 
sands of  this  priestly  profession  idling  about 
the  city  attached  to  this  or  that  deity,  fed  at 
the  expense  of  the  State  and  given  free  quar- 
ters. 

I  conversed  at  some  length  with  one  of  this 
sanctimonious  class  in  his  own  language — 
Mahrathi — to  his  great  surprise.  He  came 
from  a  village  near  Satara  of  the  Bombay 
Presidency  and  tramped  as  a  bairagi — re- 
ligious mendicant — from  shrine  to  shrine, 
covering  a  distance  of  3,000  miles  in  two  years. 
By  that  time  he  had  reached  this  sacred  spot, 
where  he  meant  to  end  his  days,  clothed  by 
public  charity  and  fed  from  the  Government 
bounty. 

In  addition  to  the  bona  fide  priests,  a  number 
assuming  their  garb,  and  in  other  ways  re- 
ligiously disguised  as  Bhikshus,  etc.,  find 
shelter  here  from  the  outside  world,  even 
though  they  may  be  suspected  or  are  real  crim- 
inal characters,  fleeing  from  impending  justice, 
and  unless  the  Nepal  Government  is  asked  to 


142  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

search  for  this  or  that  particular  one,  all  such 
find  an  asylum  here  and  no  questions  asked. 

This  was  particularly  the  case  with  numbers 
during  the  Indian  mutiny  in  1857,  when 
among  the  fugitives  came  also  the  Nana  of 
Bithdur — Nana  Sahib,  of  odious  fame — having 
made  clean  his  escape  to  the  Terai  forests. 
He  did  not  get  further,  however,  as  he  was  over- 
taken by  a  deadlier  foe  than  the  British  rifle, 
and  was  hastened  by  the  ghastly  jungle  fever 
to  his  still  more  ghastly  account.  This  was 
stated  to  us  as  a  fact  by  General  Kadar  Nur 
Singh,  and  hence  the  failure  ever  to  find  a 
trace  of  the  rebel  chief  in  spite  of  the  hand- 
some bounty  placed  on  his  head.  His  widow 
lived  in  a  large  comfortable  house,  pointed  out 
to  us,  close  to  Sir  Jung  Bahadur's  palace,  and 
was  allowed  a  monthly  stipend  by  the  Nepal 
State  until  she  died  in  1886. 

The  head  of  all  this  large  religious  commu- 
nity is  the  Raj  Guru,  or  Archbishop,  a  very 
wealthy,  influential  man,  possessor  of  immense 
estates,  and  of  a  liberal  income  from  the  State. 
He  lives  in  princely  style  and  wears  the  most 
costly  jewels.  We  met  him  more  than  once 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  143 

driving  out  in  a  fine  two-horse  English-built 
carriage,  with  many  attendants. 

Thus,  with  the  spiritual  wants  of  the  people 
looked  after,  their  physical  weaknesses  are  at- 
tended to  by  a  class  called  Waids  (or  Waidya — 
doctors),  proficient  in  native  drugs ;  but  there 
is  no  public  hospital,  nor  a  place  for  dispens- 
ing medicines  to  the  people.  To  this  I  should 
make  the  exception  of  the  good  work  done  by 
the  Residency  surgeon,  who  has  been  con- 
stant in  doing  his  best  to  make  up  for  this  sad 
want,  while  he  spared  no  efforts  and  incurred 
much  danger  by  his  exposures  during  the  re- 
cent severe  cholera  epidemic  laboring  in  or- 
der to  mitigate  its  ravages. 

He  has  a  neat  little  hospital  in  the  rear  of 
his  house,  where  the  sick  are  daily  treated, 
among  whom  we  noticed  many  afflicted  with 
the  disfiguring  complaint,  so  prevalent  in  the 
Himalayas,  of  goitre  (hideous  swellings  on  the 
neck).  Others  we  saw  were  principally  Bhu- 
teas,  who  had  come  miles  from  over  the  Hi- 
malayas to  be  vaccinated,  having  suffered 
fearfully  from  the  scourge  of  small-pox. 
These  had  great  faith  in  being  inoculated — a 


144  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

belief  not  so  well  shared  in  by  the  other  East- 
ern classes  to  their  own  hurt. 

Justice  is  fairly  administered,  while  the 
very  severe  and  cruel  punishments  in  vogue 
years  ago  are  now  abolished.  There  is  no 
undue  waste  of  time  over  technicalities,  no 
exasperating  formalities,  no  expensive  fees, 
no  disagreeing  juries,  and  no  devouring  law- 
yers. The  case  is  stated,  the  decision  given, 
the  decree  executed.  Capital  punishment  is 
resorted  to  only  in  cases  of  murder,  rebellion, 
treason  and  the  like,  while  women  and  Brah- 
mins are  degraded  and  imprisoned  for  life, 
these  being  the  extreme  penalties  of  the  law 
for  them. 

Cases  of  conjugal  infidelity,  happily  not  fre- 
quent, are  treated  by  the  Newars  lightly,  but 
the  Gurkhas  punish  such  conduct  very  severely. 

The  Maharajah  is  virtually  the  Chief  Justice 
and  the  head  of  the  Nepal  Court,  and  to  his 
decision  are  referred  all  important  cases  by 
the  magisterial  judges,  who,  however,  in  all 
other  minor  matters,  take  affairs  into  their 
own  hands.  The  laws  of  primogeniture  pre- 
vail in  Nepal  as  they  do  in  India. 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  145 

The  one  thousand  and  one  taxes,  which  eat 
into  the  vitals  of  more  enlightened  States,  are 
quite  unknown  here.  Every  family  pays  to 
the  Government,  as  their  share  of  the  land 
revenue  to  be  collected,  one-half  of  the  pro- 
duce they  raise.  With  the  other  half  they  are 
able  to  supply  all  their  few  wants  and  to  live 
a  life  of  contentment. 

After  this  divergence,  occupying  no  more 
time,  however,  than  we  spent  in  our  interest- 
ing lofty  perch  at  the  top  of  the  Dharera, 
above  the  smells  and  noxious  gases  of  the 
streets,  we  will  return  to  point  out  just  two 
more  objects — Thapathali  and  Narayen  Hitti ; 
the  former  the  extensive  palace  of  the  late  Sir 
Jung  Bahadur,  and  the  latter  the  palace,  or 
rather  collection  of  palaces,  of  the  King, 
Prime  Minister  and  Raj  Guru. 

Both  palaces  are  outside  of  the  city  walls ; 
the  first  named  is  located  near  the  apex  formed 
by  the  junction  of  the  Bagmati  and  Vishnu- 
mati;  the  other  in  quite  the  opposite  direc- 
tion, between  the  Residency  and  parade 
ground.  The  latter  is  much  too  crowded,  and 
on  account  of  its  hemmed-in  location  does  not 


146  ON  INDIA'S  FRONTIER. 

show  to  any  advantage,  though  some  of  the 
buildings  are  five  and  six  stories  high,  while 
Thapathali  is  better  situated  and  makes  an 
imposing  appearance. 

It  used  to  contain,  in  the  days  of  its  late  en- 
lightened lord,  four  large  public  rooms  thrown 
open  to  visitors,  where  was  an  exceedingly  in- 
teresting collection  of  Chinese,  Thibetian  and 
Nepalese  curiosities,  together  with  a  unique 
and  varied  assortment  of  shikar  (hunting)  tro- 
phies, all  arranged  alongside  of  European 
articles,  from  chandeliers  and  pianos  to  me- 
chanical toys  and  chromo-lithographs. 

None  of  the  above  palaces,  though  ranking 
first  in  importance  at  Khatmandu,  have  any 
of  the  fine  quaint  carvings  showing  the  de- 
teriorated taste  of  the  present  age,  which 
make  so  many  of  the  older  structures,  even  of 
the  commonest  sort,  so  pleasing  and  interest- 
ing ;  and  what  is  worse,  these  royal  structures 
are  great  rambling  brick  buildings — without 
any  pretense  to  architectural  beauty,  covered 
entirely  with  whitewash,  which  but  for  the 
cleanly  appearance,  outrages  one's  feelings. 

One  great  improvement  that  could  be  readily 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  147 

undertaken,  and  which  would  contribute  much 
towards  beautifying  and  making  attractive 
the  above  palaces,  would  be  the  construction 
of  fountains  (they  have  nothing  of  the  kind), 
fed  by  water  brought  easily  from  a  neighbor- 
ing stream. 

This  water  could  at  the  same  time  be  util- 
ized for  drinking  purposes,  and,  if  distributed 
in  aqueducts  over  the  city,  would  at  once  dis- 
place the  contaminated  stuff  drunk  by  the 
people  from  the  polluted  city  wells  and  from 
the  equally  polluted  streams,  at  once  lessening 
the  death  rate. 


148  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

IMPRESSIVE  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  MAHARAJAH. 

But  our  time  is  up,  and  we  must  hasten  to 
12  o'clock  breakfast  at  our  kind  host's,  the 
doctor's,  and  after  that  get  ready  for  the  in- 
terview appointed  with  the  Maharajah  for  that 
afternoon. 

It  was  suggested  that  the  Maharajah  would 
send  a  horse  or  conveyance  for  me,  but  I  sent 
word  to  decline  this,  as  the  doctor  wanted  to 
see  the  Maharajah  himself  on  some  business 
and  offered  very  kindly  to  take  me  with  him 
in  the  Resident's  carriage.  On  the  way  the 
doctor  warned  me  not  to  be  too  sanguine 
about  the  interview,  adding  that  the  Maha- 
rajah, after  the  first  formalities,  might  say  only 
a  few  words,  and  that  ten  minutes  would  be 
as  much  time  as  he  would  care  to  allow  for 
our  call. 

We  went  through  two  or  three  gateways, 


GENERAL      RUNUDIP      SING. 
The  Assassinated  Prime  Minister. 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  149 

passing  sentries  with  drawn  swords  and  load- 
ed muskets  at  each,  and  then  came  to  the 
palace  entrance  proper,  though  there  was 
nothing  to  indicate  this  especially.  Here  we 
dismounted,  went  through  a  room  curtained 
off,  and  entered  an  open  court,  perhaps  a 
hundred  feet  each  way,  around  which  the  pal- 
ace had  been  built  several  stories  high  in 
the  form  of  a  square.  This  court  contained 
only  a  few  plants.  Walking  across  to  the 
other  side  we  were  at  once  ushered  into  the 
large  audience  hall  fitted  up  with  English  fur- 
niture, chandeliers,  paintings  and  European 
ornaments. 

Here,  surrounded  by  quite  a  staff  of  brightly 
uniformed  officials,  all  decked  out  in  brilliants 
and  with  rich  plumed  turbans  and  helmets 
sat  the  Maharajah,  General  Runudip  Singh. 
He  at  once  rose,  came  forward,  pleasantly 
shook  hands  (his  were  encased  in  white 
French  kid  gloves)  and  asked  us  to  take  seats, 
one  on  either  side  of  him. 

The  officers  arranged  themselves  in  chairs 
in  a  semicircle  on  each  side  of  us.  He  looked 
like  a  man  of  sixty  with  a  decided  will  of  his 


150  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

own ;  sharp  eyes  and  a  firm  lip,  but  to  judge 
from  all  accounts  not  at  all  equal  to  his 
brother,  the  late  Sir  Jung  Bahadur,  in  abili- 
ties or  liberal  ideas.  He  was  not  in  uniform 
as  his  officers  were,  but  in  a  plain  suit  of 
English  pattern,  the  coat  buttoning  up  to 
the  top,  patent-leather  boots,  and  a  fine  rich 
cap. 

He  asked  me  about  the  journey  up,  how 
I  liked  his  country,  and  finally  my  object 
in  coming.  I  replied  to  all  these  inquiries  to 
his  apparent  satisfaction.  I  should  have  pre- 
ferred speaking  only  in  Hindoostani  as  the 
Prime  Minister  understood  that  language  and 
afterwards  we  did  converse  together  in  this 
manner,  but  at  first  I  was  obliged  to  speak  in 
English  (not  a  word  of  which  the  prince 
understood)  while  his  nephew,  a  most  intel- 
ligent man,  General  Khudgo  Sham  Shere 
Jung,  educated  at  the  Doveton  College,  Cal- 
cutta, interpreted  to  his  uncle. 

Instead  of  the  doctor's  ten  minutes  inter- 
view, the  old  Maharajah  seemed  to  warm  up 
the  more  he  plied  me  with  questions,  until 
dispensing  with  interpreters  and  resorting 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  151 

directly  to  Hindoostani  himself  he  kept  me 
busy  talking  for  nearly  an  hour. 

He  showed  me  a  most  profusely  carved 
bedstead  inlaid  with  tusks,  artificial  eyes, 
and  worked  up  into  elaborate  designs,  and 
wanted  to  know  if  the  mechanics  of  England 
or  America  could  turn  out  such  an  article  as 
that.  I  replied  I  did  not  think  they  would 
have  the  patience  to  keep  working  at  one  bed- 
stead for  a  couple  of  years — an  answer  that 
greatly  amused  him.  He  then  showed  me 
hunting  trophies,  and  finally  took  me  to  a 
large,  life-sized  painting,  hanging  on  the  wall, 
of  the  Burra  Maharani  (great  queen)  the 
first  of  his  two  wives. 

I  had  with  me  at  the  time  a  copy  or  two  of 
the  "  Scientific  American  "  and  of  the  "  Ameri- 
can Exporter."  These  the  prince  asked  to  look 
over  and  seemed  very  much  interested  in  so 
large  and  varied  an  assortment  of  illustrations; 
one  thing  that  especially  pleased  his  fancy 
was  a  large  drawing  of  some  fine  cows — the 
"  Holstein-Friesian  Cattle  " — such  cows  as  that 
he  said  were  worth  having,  and  wished  me  to 
arrange  at  once  to  get  out  a  few  for  him  ! 


152  ON  INDIA'S  FRONTIER. 

At  the  close  of  our  call  I  asked  for  leave  to 
go  about,  and  visit  his  officials  and  the  mer- 
chants, and  that  they  be  permitted  to  see  me. 
.This  was  no  sooner  asked  than  granted.  I 
then  intimated  the  hope  of  seeing  him  again 
soon,  as  I  wished  to  talk  with  him  further  about 
business,  and  about  certain  improvements 
that  I  would  like  to  propose ;  such  as  the  in- 
troduction of  pure  water  into  the  city,  etc.  In 
response  to  this  he  gladly  gave  me  permission 
to  call  again  and  discuss  the  projects  sug- 
gested. 

I  little  dreamed  then  what  an  awful  ca- 
lamity awaited  him  within  a  week  from 
that  time,  and  that  I  should  never  see  him 
again. 

Our  interview  ended  with  the  usual  "pan 
supari"  or  betel-nut — seed  of  the  areca  palm 
done  up  with  catechu,  cloves,  cardamoms  and 
wet  lime  in  a  narcotic  leaf  of  the  Piper  Betel, 
whose  folds  are  pinned  together  by  a  clove, 
and  the  whole  wrapped  up  in  silver  foil  and 
made  just  large  enough  to  go  into  the  mouth. 
This  was  further  supplemented  by  the  pull- 
ing out  of  handkerchiefs  and  the  dropping 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  153 

on  them  of  a  little  attar  of  roses,  oftener  rose 
water  simply  and  not  attar. 

Feeling  encouraged  by  the  pleasant  im- 
pression I  had  received  of  the  Maharajah,  I 
went  about  making  acquaintances  in  the  city 
at  the  same  time  that  I  was  planning  to  ob- 
tain another  day  when  I  should  call  again 
on  the  prince  by  royal  permission. 

Here  it  occurs  to  me  to  say,  how  often  and 
often  has  the  thought  come  up,  in  my  many 
wanderings  into  the  remote  unfrequented 
Eastern  corners  of  the  earth,  what  a  grand 
field  these  places  would  afford  to  so  many  of 
our  energetic,  adventurous  spirits  for  stretch- 
ing their  limbs,  aching  from  ennui,  and  for  air- 
ing their  cramped  feelings. 

They  could  gratify  their  love  of  Natural 
History  or  fondness  for  excitement  and  the 
chase,  instead  of  pining  away  at  their  homes, 
or  in  luxurious  enervating  hotels,  for  some- 
thing novel,  for  something  out  of  the  worn 
threadbare  routes  of  travel,  tourists'  resorts 
and  fashionable  watering  places.  For  want  of 
a  little  information  and  better  employment, 
these  idlers  fritter  away  their  superfluous  time 


154  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

as  well  as  their  superfluous  cash  in  wasteful 
ignorance  and  chafing  monotony,  who  could 
do  good  and  get  good  by  coming  out  to  the 
East.  I  should  be  only  too  glad  to  assist  any 
such,  wishing  to  make  a  trial,  with  information 
and  the  results  of  my  experience,  assuring 
them  that  many  of  these  trips  would  cost  less 
than  the  sums  frivolously  spent  in  a  few 
weeks  at  Brighton  or  Saratoga. 

It  was  during  this  time  while  going  around 
Khatmandu  that  I  became  greatly  interested 
in  reading  about  Bogle  and  Manning's  trips 
into  Thibet,  and  what  difficulties  they  en- 
countered in  their  efforts  to  reach  its  capital, 
Lhassa  (said  to  be  three  months'  journey  from 
Nepal  where  there  is  a  large  Nepalese  colony), 
all  of  which  is  narrated  in  a  most  instructive 
and  entertaining  book  edited  by  Clements 
Markham,  which  was  kindly  lent  me  from  the 
Residency  library. 

This  book  presents  in  unfavorable  compari- 
son the  present  apathy,  if  not  positive  hostil- 
ity, of  the  India  Government,  as  exhibited 
through  their  Foreign  Office,  towards  all  pri- 
vate commercial  efforts  for  opening  up  con- 
nections with  the  frontier  countries. 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  155 

If  there  was  one  thing  above  others  that  re- 
flected the  greatest  credit  on  India's  first 
Viceroy,  the  Marquis  of  Hastings,  it  was  this : 
he  took  a  deep  personal  interest  in  all  efforts 
to  extend  friendly  feeling  and  develop  trade 
dealings  with  the  far  north,  beyond  the  con- 
fines of  British  possessions. 

It  will  never  be  known  what  the  Eastern 
world  and  England  lost  by  the  sudden  death 
of  that  most  excellent  man,  the  Grand  Lama, 
head  and  autocrat  of  all  Buddhism  in  far-off 
Pekin,  after  months  of  terrible  journeying 
from  his  revered  city  of  Lhassa,  intensified 
by  the  strange  coincident  of  the  equally  sud- 
den death  at  Calcutta  of  Bogle,  the  emissary 
of  the  Marquis,  on  the  eve  of  both  these  noble 
representatives'  contemplated  conference  with 
the  Emperor  of  China  in  Pekin  itself,  for  the 
promotion  of  commercial  and  friendly  reci- 
procity. 


156  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
THE  MAHARAJAH'S  ASSASSINATION. 

It  was  while  I  was  reading  these  intensely 
interesting  narratives  of  Bogle  and  Manning, 
mentioned  in  the  previous  chapter,  and  while 
seated  with  the  Doctor  around  a  wood  fire  in 
his  drawing-room  late  one  Monday  evening, 
that  the  Jemadar,  or  head  of  the  Residency 
body  guard,  consisting  of  eighty  sepoys — 
native  soldiers  of  India — came  rushing  in  un- 
ceremoniously and  whispered  audibly :  "  Hulla 
hai ! ! — there  is  a  massacre — going  on  in  the  city 
— there  is  a  massacre — going  on  in  the  city !  " 

We  looked  up  incredulously;  at  which  he 
seemed  additionally  excited,  and  asked  us  to 
come  outside.  We  followed. 

The  night  was  perfect,  bright  with  a  full 
moon;  but  a  startling  phenomenon  at  once 
riveted  our  sight.  The  whole  heavens  seemed 
to  be  streaked  with  the  trails  of  showers  of  in- 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  157 

cessant  shooting  stars  (noticed  all  over  India 
and  elsewhere,  being  the  annual  November 
meteoric  display),  presaging  some  great  evil 
according  to  the  superstitious,  while  below 
from  the  direction  of  the  city,  arose  the  omi- 
nous low  din  of  some  great  confusion,  and  the 
tramp  as  of  bodies  of  troops  in  motion. 

Then  came  the  sharp,  piercing  reveille  of 
the  bugle,  followed  by  the  rattle  of  musketry 
and  the  deep  booming  of  cannon.  There  were 
sounds  of  people  running  hither  and  thither, 
shrieks  from  women,  and  a  great  uproar  gen- 
erally. All  came  upon  us  like  a  thunderbolt 
out  of  a  cloudless  sky,  and  no  one  could  solve 
the  mystery. 

The  scenes  of  violence,  passion  and  cruelty 
enacted  that  night  pass  all  telling,  and 
although  the  doctor  hastened  off  spies  to 
find  out  the  meaning  of  such  commotion,  yet 
long  before  they  returned,  our  pleasant,  quiet 
quarters  had  become  a  house  of  refuge  for 
those  who  had  a  few  minutes  before  been 
reckoned  among  the  highest  in  the  land,  re- 
splendent in  gems  and  finery,  and  whose  very 
nod  was  sufficient  to  call  whole  regiments  into 
action. 


]  58  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 


Among  the  first  to  come  was  General  Kadar 
Nur  Singh.  I  had  met  him  at  my  interview 
with  the  Maharajah,  dressed  in  full,  rich  uni- 
form ;  now  he  was  barely  covered  with  a  thin 
suit  of  under  garments,  as  he  rushed  up 
breathless  and  entreated  to  be  sheltered  from 
impending  death.  Close  on  his  heels  came 
General  Dhoje  Nur  Singh,  the  adopted  son  of 
the  Maharajah,  and  his  little  boy  with  him. 
They  were  in  a  sad  plight  and  were  not  at  first 
recognized,  being  woefully  changed  from  their 
appearance  as  last  seen  at  the  palace  decked  in 
royal  robes  and  ablaze  with  precious  stones. 
Then  came  in  hot  haste  the  brothers,  General 
Padum  Jung  and  General  Rungbir  Jung,  sons 
of  the  late  General  Jung  Bahadur.  Last  of 
all,  after  many  hair-breadth's  escapes,  came 
one  of  the  Queens,  the  second  wife  of  the  Ma- 
harajah, called  Jetta  Maharani,*  seated  astride 
a  little  saddle  fastened  upon  the  back  of  one 
of  her  slave  girls  (as  is  customary  among  all 
Nepal  ladies  of  rank,  for  they  are  much  averse 
to  walking  even  in  their  houses). 

*  Another  Rani  called  "  Cbitti  Biddi  My  "  was  detected  just  before  she 
reached  the  Residency  limits,  and  ruthlessly  carried  back  and  put  into 
rigorous  confinement. 


A    NEPALESE    PRINCESS. 


GENERAL    JUGAT    JUNG    AND    WIFE. 
(Killed  in  the  Massacre.) 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  159 


These,  with  their  followers,  took  up  a  good 
portion  of  the  Doctor's  house,  and  each  one 
had  harrowing  stories  to  tell,  while  one  and 
all  confirmed  the  report  of  the  Maharajah's  as- 
sassination in  his  own  palace,  as  he  was  re- 
clining, looking  over  official  documents.  In 
addition  to  this  they  reported  other  deaths 
and  claimed  that  but  for  the  security  granted 
them  under  the  shadow  of  the  British  flag 
they  would  have  been  made  away  with  by  a 
cruel  faction,  simply  to  further  the  end  of  a 
political  party. 

Thus,  in  a  few  words,  is  portrayed  what  had 
been  only  a  repetition  of  Nepal's  previous  his- 
tory over  and  over  again ;  for  either  the  King 
or  Prime  Minister  had  come  into  power  by 
violence  and  bloodshed,  or  been  deposed  and 
brought  to  an  untimely  end  by  the  same  des- 
perate, cruel  practices.* 

We  now  recalled  the  rain  of  blood  drops 
shown  us  at  Balaji,  and  realized  with  what 
ineffaceable  conviction  this  and  the  falling 
stars  that  night  would  be  henceforth  associ- 


*  The  eldest  son  of  Sir  Jung  Bahadur,  General  Jugat  Jung,  his  wife  and 
son  were  the  principal  persons  killed  next  to  the  Maharajah,  and  their  bodies 
were  carried  down  unceremoniously  to  Pashupati  and  hastily  cremated. 


160  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

ated  in  the  minds  of  the  Nepalese  with  the 
troubles  just  happening ! 

The  doctor  sent  off  at  once  a  special  mes- 
senger to  recall  the  Resident,  although  it  would 
be  nearly  a  week  before  he  could  get  back, 
while  we  noticing  an  apparently  quieter  state 
prevailing  out  of  doors,  retired  to  secure  some 
sleep  as  best  we  could. 

The  next  morning  there  was  all  about  us 
a  close  cordon  of  Nepalese  guards,  stationed 
outside  the  Residency  limits.  The  city  seemed 
to  be  completely  under  martial  law.  The 
shops  were  closed,  the  streets  were  as  silent 
as  death  and  the  fields  about  were  deserted  by 
the  peasantry. 

Our  plans  were  now  all  thrown  into  con- 
fusion and  we  hardly  knew  what  was  best  to 
be  done.  Of  course  we  felt  free  to  walk  out, 
and  did  so,  but  we  could  see  no  one,  and  as 
the  doctor  thought  we  were  rash  and  made 
light  of  the  situation,  we  stopped  going  around 
not  wishing  to  give  offense  to  anyone,  least  of 
all  to  our  kind  host. 

A  rather  long  week  for  us  went  by.  Mean- 
while negotiations  had  been  begun  for  de- 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  161 

porting-  down  into  India  the  refugees,  who 
were  still  with  us.  The  Resident,  too,  had 
arrived  and  we,  taking  advantage  of  the  lull 
in  the  political  horizon,  ventured  out  on  two 
or  three  short  trips.  One  was  to  the  old 
capital  of  Patan,  close  by,  which  we  found  to 
be  a  cleaner  city,  which  is  not  saying  much  ; 
and  containing  many  beautiful  temples.  One 
of  stone  was  particularly  fine,  situated  with  a 
number  of  others  highly  carved  in  the  central 
square. 

We  also  made  an  excursion  to  the  oldest 
capital  of  all,  Bhatgaon,  built  by  Raja 
Anand  Malla,  A.  D.  865,  where  the  streets  are 
wider,  better  paved  and  cleaner  still,  than  in 
either  Patan  or  Khatmandu,  though  the  town 
is  of  about  the  same  size  as  Patan,  numbering 
perhaps  35,000.  Here  the  carvings,  taken  as 
a  whole,  were  the  finest,  and  those  on  the  old- 
est buildings  seemed  to  be  the  best. 

The  old  palace  was  especially  handsome 
and  had  in  front  of  it  a  tall  monolith  crowned 
with  the  brazen  figure  of  the  Rajah  who  built 
it.  We  found  these  monoliths  in  many  places 
elsewhere,  surmounted  with  some  long-ago 


162  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 


defunct  hero  or  mythological  winged  being 
called  a  Garud.  These  figures  are  put  in  a 
kneeling  posture,  generally  facing  some  tem- 
ple, and  have  a  bell-shaped  umbrella  over 
them,  or  a  brazen  snake  coiled  around  them 
with  its  head  extended  upward  and  made  to 
overhang  the  figure.  On  the  snake  there  sits 
usually  a  little  bird. 

But  the  temple  that  interested  us  most 
at  Bhatgaon  was  the  five-storied  temple  of 
Nyatpola  Dewal.  None  but  the  priests  ever 
enters  it.  Its  long  flight  of  stone  steps  leading 
up  to  the  masonry  platform  on  which  the 
temple  proper  rests,  are  lined  with  figures  as 
shown  in  the  illustration.  The  lowest  steps 
are  guarded  by  two  powerful  giants,  Jayamalla 
and  Phalta,  peylwans  or  champion  wrestlers 
of  the  Bhatgaon  Court,  and  said  to  be  each 
stronger  than  the  combined  strength  of  ten 
men.  Above  them  are  placed  two  elephants, 
each  stronger  than  ten  of  these  men.  Above 
them  are  two  lions  ten  times  stronger  than 
the  elephants.  Then  came  two  Sarduls  or 
griffins,  as  much  stronger  again,  and  fifth  and 
last,  above  all,  comes  two  goddesses  of  super- 


NYATPOLA BHATGAON  S    HOLIEST    SHRINE. 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  163 

natural  power  called  by  the  euphonious  names 
of  Byaghrini  and  Singhrini. 

From  Bhatgaon  we  went  up  to  a  place  of 
pilgrimage  called  Mahadeo  Pookri,  and  here 
had  a  grand  view  of  mount  Everest,  across  a 
sea  of  valleys  about  eighty  miles  off,  the  near- 
est point  from  which  Europeans  as  yet  have 
gazed  upon  that  giant.  Owing  to  the  great 
distance,  Everest  is  somewhat  disappointing, 
being  not  nearly  so  striking  and  impressive 
as  everal  nearer  peaks. 

The  following  account  taken  from  the  Bom- 
bay Gazette  describes  a  Frenchman's  recent 
experience  and  ideas  of  Nepal. 

A  FRENCH  ARCHAEOLOGIST  IN  INDIA. 

This  is  the  fourth  letter  published  under  the  signature 
of  "Gustave  le  Bon,"  in  Le  Temps : — 

Gulf  of  Bengal,  on  board  the  S.S.  Sir  John  Lawrence. 

I  find  myself  returned  from  the  mysterious  capital  of 
Nepal,  which  no  other  Frenchman  had  yet  visited,  and,  in 
spite  of  all  the  pessimist  predictions  with  which  I  was 
loaded,  I  have  preserved  my  head  upon  my  shoulders 
without  very  serious  difficulty. 

It  is,  as  everybody  knows,  only  under  very  exceptional 
circumstances  that  a  European — English  or  not— is  able 
to  obtain  authority  to  visit  Khatmandu  and  the  principal 


164  ON  INDIA'S  FRONTIER. 

towns  of  Nepal ;  but  then,  even  when  this  authority  has 
been  obtained,  it  does  not  necessarily  follow  that  all 
difficulties  are  removed.  To  undertake  to  cross  the 
Himalayas  in  four  days,  the  170  kilometres  which  separate 
the  last  English  town,  Motihari  from  Khatmandu,  one 
must  have — at  least  a  vigor,  and  a  familiarity  with 
mountains  which  no  member  of  our  Alpine  clubs  certainly 
possesses — and  a  small  army  of  porters.  Part  of  the  road 
is  done  in  a  sort  of  palanquin  which  in  shape  is  exactly 
like  a  cradle.  It  is  as  ugly  as  it  is  uncomfortable.  The 
reflections  one  makes  during  the  forty-eight  hours  you 
spend  in  this  box  are  only  disturbed  by  the  cold  baths  you 
inevitably  receive  in  your  clothes  every  time  it  is  necessary 
to  cross  the  course  of  a  stream.  Arrived  at  the  foot  of  the 
Himalayas  you  are  squeezed  into  a  sort  of  bag  called  a 
dandy — I  know  not  absolutely  why — carried  by  four  men, 
by  means  of  crossed  poles,  and  if  your  porters  chance  only 
to  slip  once — no  one  hears  more  said  of  you  or  them — other- 
wise you  arrive  all  right  at  Khatamandu. 

In  the  temporary  absence  of  the  English  authorities  at 
Motihari,  I  had  to  recruit — with  the  aid  of  a  certain  very 
dangerous  and  expensive  native  magistrate  of  the  name 
of  Elphinstone — thirty-three  porters  who  constituted  cer- 
tainly the  most  remarkable  collection  of  rascals  that  I  have 
ever  had  occasion  to  see  in  my  travels.  The  band  had 
looted  my  bag  of  rupees,  and  would  even  have  wished  to 
seize  everything  if  they  hadn't  first  exposed  themselves  to 
make  acquaintance  with  the  bullets  of  my  revolvers. 
Their  trick,  the  most  ingenious,  was  to  abandon  me  for  a 
whole  night  in  an  extremely  dense  forest,  and  dangerous 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  165 

after  sunset  on  account  of  tigers,  leopards,  panthers, 
boars,  and  savage  elephants,  which  swarm  there,  as  rab- 
bits in  a  European  warren.  Had  I  been  devoured,  and 
nothing  more  to  account  for  my  disappearance,  they  would 
have  cleared  themselves  by  attributing  the  accident  to 
chance,  and  looted  the  rupees. 

Unfortunately  for  them  the  protection  of  the  gods  baffled 
these  perfidious  attempts.  The  wood  being  too  damp  for 
me  to  be  able  by  means  of  it  to  make  a  fire  and  disperse 
and  frighten  the  ferocious  beasts,  I  had  recourse  to 
candles,  which  had  never  quitted  me,  and,  placed  one 
upon  the  covering  of  the  apparatus  mentioned  above,  I 
then  wrote,  in  order  to  keep  me  awake,  a  little  work  which 
I  had  thought  of  for  some  time,  and  which  I  have  sent  to 
the  Revue  Scientifique  on  a  new  method  of  taking  observa- 
tions en  voyage,  and  upon  the  instruments  that  I  would 
employ  for  this  purpose,  When  the  day  appeared,  one  of 
the  men  of  the  gang,  who  had  taken  shelter  in  a  neighbor- 
ing village,  came  to  see  if  the  tigers  had  dined  on  Euro- 
pean cutlets.  I  imagine  it  must  have  proved  a  very  dis- 
agreeable disillusion  when,  instead  of  the  bag  of  rupees 
which  he  expected  to  carry  away,  he  found  himself  seized 
by  the  throat,  and  felt  the  barrel  of  a  revolver  introduce 
itself  into  his  eye  with  an  injunction  to  bring  back  the  rest 
of  the  band  within  five  minutes  under  pain  of  having  his 
skull  fractured.  The  band  returned,  a  few  strokes  with  a 
walking  stick  applied  vigorously  among  the  lot,  with  a 
threat  of  the  revolver  upon  the  first  man  who  would  speak 
a  word,  was  sufficient  to  inspire  a  salutary  fear  in  all  these 
worthy  friends.  These  little  incidents  of  a  journey  to 


166  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

Nepal,  when  one  has  not  the  English  authorities  to  assist 
you  at  Motihari,  are  largely  compensated  for  by  the  sight 
of  the  very  curious  town  of  Khatmandu,  and,  above  all, 
that  of  Patan  and  Bhatgaon.  I  have  already  told  you  of 
the  impression  produced  upon  me  by  the  temples  at 
Ellora  ;  those  that  I  experienced  on  entering  Patan  were 
even  a  great  deal  stronger.  The  temples  of  Ellora  recall 
more  or  less  definitely  to  the  traveler  who  has  seen  India, 
some  things  already  known.  The  great  royal  palace  of 
Patan  or  that  of  Bhatgaon  represents,  on  the  contrary, 
forms  quite  unexpected.  There  is  in  these  two  towns,  on 
a  surface  of  a  few  hundred  metres,  a  collection  of  temples, 
palaces,  and  columns,  such  as  might  raise  the  dreams  of 
the  most  fastidious  of  artists  to  an  ecstacy.  We  see  there, 
temples  having  the  form  of  immense  pyramids,  superim- 
posed, the  vertices  below,  placed  on  the  summit  of  gigantic 
steps,  which  one  might  almost  believe  had  been  cut  by 
giants,  covered  with  monsters,  statues,  gates  of  bronze  and 
gold,  guarded  by  a  legion  of  fantastic  beings.  At  the  first 
sight  of  these  strange  marvels,  one  passes  the  hand  across 
the  forehead  to  know  if  he  is  not  dreaming.  I  do  not 
know  in  any  other  portion  of  the  world  among  the  works 
of  men  anything  so  marvellously  picturesque.  If  the  de- 
tails of  this  striking  effect  are  analyzed,  you  see  clearly 
that  the  architecture  of  Nepal  is  formed  by  the  combina- 
tion of  elements  borrowed  from  the  two  countries  between 
which  it  is  situated— India  and  China.  The  combination 
of  these  two  elements,  so  different,  produces  some  effects 
absolutely  unexpected.  Certain  columns  have  a  formation 
which  we  would  not  be  able  to  include  in  a  classification 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  167 

of  any  of  those  known  to  us  ;  the  same  with  the  windows 
of  the  houses  and  their  framing.  Certain  bronze  doors  of 
the  temples  or  palaces  of  Nepal  are  of  very  remarkable 
workmanship  ;  but  this  work  is  a  small  thing  in  comparison 
with  that  of  the  wooden  columns  which  generally  support 
the  first  story  of  the  houses.  As  to  form,  I  know  nothing 
in  the  world  more  superb,  and  as  to  work,  the  most  skillful 
of  Parisian  artists  would  be  certainly  incapable  of  doing 
better. 

The  architecture  of  Nepal  is  but  little  known  in  Europe, 
and  in  India  only  by  some  photographs  due  to  a  photog- 
rapher that  the  Sovereign  made  to  come  from  Calcutta  to 
his  court  to  execute  his  portrait  and  those  of  his  family ; 
but  these  photographs,  on  a  small  scale,  do  not  allow  of 
the  details  of  these  monuments  being  seen,  which  are  pre- 
cisely the  most  essential  parts,  and  only  give  in  reality  a 
very  vague  idea. 

The  arrival  of  a  Frenchman  in  Nepal  had  greatly 
agitated  the  inhabitants,  and  during  my  sojourn,  I  had 
absolutely  the  pleasure  of  passing  in  the  condition  of  a 
strange  beast,  such  as  a  calf  with  two  heads  or  a  bearded 
woman.  When  I  made  my  photographs  and  took  my 
measurements  I  had  over  2,000  persons  round  me  or 
perched  upon  the  roofs  of  the  houses,  entirely  engaged  in 
observing  me.  The  two  soldiers  of  the  guard  of  the 
sovereign  who  accompanied  me  made  way  by  distributing 
to  left  and  right  vigorous  showers  of  blows  with  a  baton, 
but  the  crowd  would  not  resign  themselves  to  go  away 
even  for  a  few  steps.  I  finished  by  paying  no  attention  to 
this  mass  of  valorous  people,  wno  only  manifested  any 


168  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER, 

concern  for  me  by  curiosity  without  the  slightest  mark  of 
hostility.  This  curiosity  appeared  to  have  spread,  besides, 
to  all  classes  of  society  among  the  people  of  Nepal,  and  to 
judge  by  the  number  of  personages  that  the  chance — it  is 
always  wise  to  attribute  to  chance  the  events  of  which  we 
are  ignorant  of  the  causes — brought  about  me.  In  order 
to  avoid  hurting  the  susceptibilities  of  the  -  English  Am- 
bassador— the  only  European  authorized  to  reside  at 
Nepal — I  had  carefully  avoided  paying  a  visit  to  the 
Emperor  or  any  of  his  generals. 

But  most  of  them  placed  themselves  in  my  way,  and, 
besides,  asked  me  most  graciously  the  same  question. 
The  affairs  of  China  greatly  interest  the  inhabitants  of 
Nepal,  who  have  had  many  times  to  defend  themselves 
against  the  armies  of  the  Celestial  Empire.  Everyone 
knew  that  there  was  in  the  West,  a  great  country  called 
France,  the  Raja  of  which  was  at  war  with  China.  It  was 
therefore  evident  that,  if  a  Frenchman  came  to  Nepal  it 
was  to  determine  the  Nepalese  Government  to  declare  war 
with  China,  and  thus  gain  a  useful  diversion.  To  essay  to 
prove  to  an  inhabitant  of  Nepal  that  a  European  could 
wish  to  come  from  so  distant  countries  and  encounter  the 
difficult  passes  of  the  Himalayas  merely  to  visit  theit 
mountains  is  completely  impossible. 

The  geographical  situation  of  Nepal,  which  ought  to  be 
considered  as  a  large  valley  situated  among  the  highest 
mountains  of  the  world,  has  always  been  dependent  on 
her  two  redoubtable  neighbors — the  English  of  India  and 
the  Chinese  of  Thibet.  It  has  valiantly  defended  its  in- 
dependence in  many  battles,  and  all  that  England  has 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  169 

been  able  to  obtain  after  a  bloody  war  has  been  the 
authorization  of  having  an  ambassador  at  Khatmandu. 
Except  this  Ambassador  and  his  doctor  no  European  has 
the  right  to  penetrate  to  the  towns  of  Nepal  without  the 
formal  authority  of  the  Nepalese  Government,  and  this 
authorization  is  only  very  exceptionally  accorded.  The 
English  Ambassador  himself  is  only  allowed  to  travel  in  a 
very  limited  area,  and  the  greatest  portion  of  Nepal  is 
rigorously  interdicted  to  him. 

In  spite  of  its  isolation,  Nepal  knows  perfectly  all  that 
takes  place  in  the  world.  The  rich  lords  have  their  sons 
at  the  Calcutta  University,  where  they  learn  to  speak 
English,  carry  eyeglass  and  jacket.  The  eyeglass  and 
jacket  are  quite  exceptional  in  the  suite  of  the  Emperor. 
A  happy  chance  brought  the  young  Sovereign  in  my  way  ; 
it  embraced  also  his  suite  and  all  the  ladies  of  his  court. 
He  was  dressed  in  a  violet  mantle  and  his  servitors  had 
over  their  heads  the  insignia  of  the  royal  power,  a  parasol. 
The  ladies  followed  in  palanquins  or  hammocks  covered 
with  red  silk  disposed  in  a  manner  so  as  entirely  to  con- 
ceal their  faces.  There  was  not  one,  nevertheless,  who 
passed  with  her  head  quite  concealed,  but  looked  to  see 
what  this  stranger  was  like,  who  had  been  intriguing  in  the 
country  for  some  time.  Fine  fellows,  the  Nepalese  of  the 
Imperial  family,  in  spite  of  the  evident  mixture  of  yellow 
blood,  and  the  marks  which  they  paint  upon  their  forehead. 
Few  of  the  inhabitants  of  Nepal  are  able  to  boast  of  their 
good  looks. 

My  letter  is  already  very  long,  and  I  have  spoken  but 
little  about  the  inhabitants  of  Nepal.  I  will  return  to  the 


170  ON  INDIA'S  FRONTIER. 

subject  in  a  future  correspondence,  if  the  vessel  which 
carries  me  arrives  safely  in  port.  It  contains  five  hundred 
Hindus,  who  have  saved  pice  by  pice  for  a  long  time  the 
sum  necessary  to  make  a  pilgrimage  to  this  celebrated 
temple  of  Juggernath,  where,  unfortunately  for  them,  they 
are  no  longer  permitted  to  be  crushed  under  the  car  of 
their  idol.  This  interdiction  alone  seems  to  throw  a  gloom 
over  their  happiness.  Let  us  not  sneer  at  them  too  much. 
Nowhere  else  in  India  does  man  risk  his  life  for  a  chimera 
so  vain  as  that  of  the  idols  of  the  temple  of  Juggernath. 

The  political  atmosphere  being  now  a  little 
cleared,  we  began  seriously  to  think  about 
getting  back  to  India,  but  wished  before  do- 
ing so  to  pay  our  farewell  respects  to  the  new 
regime,  consisting  of  General  Bhir  ShamShere 
Jung  for  new  Maharajah,  and  his  brother,  Gen- 
eral Khudgo  Sham  Shaw  Jung,  as  Comman- 
der-in-Chief.  There  were  a  few  other  changes 
made,  and  positions  filled,  but  so  far  as  the 
little  king  was  concerned,  he  was  in  no  way 
affected  by  the  disturbance,  and  was  con- 
ducted about  the  city  on  an  elephant  just 
after  the  assassinations  to  show  the  people 
that  their  Rajah  was  all  right. 

The  new  Prime  Minister  appointed  a  time 
for  me  to  call  at  the  city  palace,  and  I  had  a 


NEPAL'S  PRIME  MINISTER,  GENERAL  BIR  SHAM  SHERE  JUNG. 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  171 

pleasant  chat  with  him  there,  and  with  his 
brother,  General  Khudgo  Sham  Shaw  Jung. 
The  latter  will  be  remembered  as  the  one  who 
kindly  interpreted  for  me,  and  whom  I  have 
already  described  in  my  interview  with  the 
late  Maharajah.  He  is  a  very  energetic,  affa- 
ble and  enterprising  officer.  He  is  the  moving 
spirit  in  the  new  Government,  and  to  him  the 
Maharajah,  though  older,  defers.  Under 
these  two  brothers'  influence  the  Nepal  Dur- 
bar, or  Court,  bids  fair  to  adopt  improvements 
and  introduce  reforms  that  will  benefit  the 
State. 

To  my  several  suggestions  as  to  matters 
most  important  to  take  hold  of  first,  they 
listened  with  a  spirit  of  approval,  but  told  me 
that  owing  to  the  troubles  they  had  just 
passed  through,  and  to  the  necessity  of  giving 
their  undivided  attention  to  important  State 
questions,  they  could  not  undertake  anything 
of  the  nature  I  proposed,  until  they  had  made 
themselves  secure  in  their  new  positions — an 
answer  that  admitted  of  no  argument,  How- 
ever, at  the  special  request  of  General  Khudgo 
Sham  Shaw  Jung  and  his  brother,  I  agreed  to 


172  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

make  personally  a  survey  of  what  would  be  a 
feasible  project  for  the  city  water-works,  and 
placed  the  results  of  my  estimate  in  their 
hands,  with  their  promise  not  to  let  the  matter 
sleep. 

Feeling  now  that  should  any  good  come  of 
our  trip  to  Nepal,  even  if  it  had  not  profited 
us  in  any  business  way,  the  thought  of  having 
at  least  possibly  benefited  the  State  in  some 
incidental  way  should  console  us  for  what  we 
had  undergone ;  and  seeing  that  nothing  further 
could  be  definitely  accomplished  in  the  pres- 
ent excitement  and  uncertainty  that  prevailed, 
we  took  our  leave  of  the  Maharajah  and  his 
brother  with  pleasant  assurances  of  friendship, 
since  repeated  in  letters. 

In  closing  this  chapter  it  may  be  well  to  re- 
fer to  the  old  adage  that  history  repeats  itself, 
and  with  special  rapidity  in  Nepal.  General 
Khudgo  Sham  Shaw  Jung,  the  new  com- 
mander-in-chief,  and  who  was  the  mainstay  of 
his  brother,  the  new  Maharajah,  and  the  prin- 
cipal factor  in  putting  the  old  Maharajah,  his 
uncle,  out  of  the  way,  was  himself  obliged  to 
flee  the  country  not  many  months  later  in 


GENERAL    KHUDGO    SHAM    SHERE    JUNG, 
(.Brother  of  Prime  Minister.) 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  173 

order  to  save  his  own  head  endangered  by  the 
jealous  suspicions  of  his  brother,  General 
Bhir  Sham  Shere  Jung,  whom  he  had  been 
instrumental  in  making  Maharajah. 


174  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
RETURNING  TO   CALCUTTA. 

After  bidding  the  Princes  and  many  native 
friends  we  had  made  good-bye,  we,  with  many 
regrets,  bade  farewell  to  our  most  hospitable 
host  the  Doctor,  and  esteemed  friend  the  Resi- 
dent, and  I  take  this  opportunity  to  state  that 
more  kindly-disposed  officials  in  all  the  circle  of 
those  among  whom  I  have  been  forced  to  cast 
my  lot  I  have  failed  to  find. 

I  wish  I  could  say  the  same  of  certain  others 
who,  though  representatives  of  the  India  For- 
eign Office  in  different  places  visited  by  the 
writer,  were  anything  but  a  credit  to  that  de- 
partment; who  belied  their  professions  and 
positions,  who  assumed  most  haughty,  over- 
bearing airs,  who  might  well  be  asked,  "  I  say, 
stranger,  are  you  anybody  in  particular  ? "  who 


ON  INDIA'S  FRONTIER.  175 

used  the  prerogatives  of  their  office  to  thwart 
you,  whether  traveler,  sportsman,  scientist* 
or  commercial  agent,  who  were  as  disgusting 
in  their  attempts  to  bully  all  those  within 
their  reach,  as  they  were  obsequious  toadies  to 
anybody  with  a  title ;  who  felt  as  uneasy  at 
your  presence  as  they  were  jealous  of  your 
success. 

These  men,  though  engaged  on  a  generous 
salary  to  represent  a  great,  liberal,  civilizing 
commercial  nation,  might  well  be  supposed  to 
be  the  under-paid  hirelings  of  an  exclusive 
despotism ;  whose  knowledge  of  the  world 
and  its  requirements  were  as  contracted  as 
they  were  ridiculous  ;  who  were  as  wanting  in 
brain,  as  they  were  deficient  in  the  attributes 
of  a  gentleman  ;  who  were  as  lacking  in  their 
sympathy  with  the  natives  they  governed,  as 
in  their  knowledge  of  the  language  of  the 
country  they  ruled;  who  thought  they  saw 
a  Russian  spy  in  every  traveling  foreigner 

*  We  met  a  gentleman  just  after  our  return  to  Calcutta,  who,  as  the 
representative  of  a  scientific  society  in  Europe,  had  laid  all  his  plans  to  go 
over  a  good  portion  of  the  ground  we  had  traversed.  He  communicated 
with  the  authorities  and  managed  after  many  weeks'  waiting  to  get  their 
permission.  On  the  strength  of  this  he  started,  but  was  suddenly  stopped 
on  the  border  and  the  permission  arbitrarily  revoked.  He  of  course  had  no 
alternative  but  to  retrace  his  steps. 


176  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 

though  a  fellow  countryman  ;  when  they  could 
not  distinguish  a  Brahmin  from  an  Afghan 
nor  a  palm  tree  from  a  pine.* 

In   this   connection   I  am  reminded   of    an 


*  The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  Bombay  Gazette  : 
"  Lord  Roseberry  was  the  principal  speaker  at  a  recent  banquet  to  the 
Indians  and  Colonials  by  the  Edinburgh  Corporation.  In  proposing  the 
toast  of  '  Our  Colonial  and  Indian  Empire  '  he  welcomed  the  visitors  to  Scot- 
land, and  expressed  pleasure  that  the  colonists  should  make  themselves 
acquainted  with  the  great  historic  centres  of  the  Empire.  If  (he  continued) 
I  were  a  legislator,  a  despotic  legislator,  such  as  legislators  have  been,  and  I 
had  to  frame  laws  for  this  great  Empire,  one  of  the  first  that  I  should  frame 
would  be  this,  that  neither  in  Great  Britain,  nor  in  India,  nor  in  the  colonies 
should  any  man  hold  high  and  important  office  without  knowing  something 
of  the  Empire  with  which  he  was  called  upon  to  deal.  (Cheers  )  I  would 
make  men  who  wish  to  be  British  Ministers  travel  in  the  colonies  and  in 
India  (cheers),  and  I  would  make  those  who  desire  to  hold  office,  to  hold 
high  office  in  the  colonies  and  in  India,  see  something  of  the  islands  from 
which  so  much  of  their  inspiration  at  any  rate  is  derived.  (Cheers.)  We 
used,  in  former  days,  not  so  very  long  ago,  to  have  government  by  test  in  all 
its  departments.  There  was  a  test  for  every  office.  It  was,  I  think,  a  faulty 
test,  because  it  dealt  with  conscience,  and  that  is  not  a  fair  test  ;  but  I 
should  be  willing  to  re-enact  government  by  test,  for  it  is  to  test  whether 
men  knew  those  great  countries,  those  vast  regions,  with  which  every  man  is 
called  upon  to  deal.  (Cheers.)  I  have  done  some  part  of  that  work  myself, 
and  I  hope  that  it  will  not  be  long — indeed,  a  short  time — before  I  visit  that 
Indian  Empire,  which  to  all  of  us  must  be  supremely  interesting  (cheers),  as 
including  not  merely  great  historic  memories  which  adorn  and  strengthen 
the  character  of  this  nation,  but  as  containing  a  vast  majority  of  the  subjects 
of  the  British  Empire,  and  as  representing  so  considerable  a  key  to  our 
foreign  policy,  and  moreover,  as  representing  a  great  acquisition — an  Empire 
within  an  Empire,  which  we  are  determined  to  maintain,  whatever  force 
may  be  arrayed  against  us.  (Cheers.)  We  know  something  of  those  forces  ; 
we  learn  something  of  them  every  day  ;  and  it  is  for  us  in  these  days  to 
show  that  the  character  of  the  nation  which  conquered  India  has  not  dete- 
riorated, and  that  it  is  determined,  in  spite  of  whatever  may  happen,  to 
maintain  it." 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  177 

official*  who  was  stationed  at  Bagdad ;  he  was 
a  poor  specimen  of  an  Englishman  and  a  still 
poorer  consular  officer  who  did  not  understand 


*  The  story  of  this  official  reminds  us  very  forcibly  of  some  lines  of  Rud- 
yard  Kipling  touching  a  similar  character. 

STUDY   OF   AN   ELEVATION,  IN  INDIAN  INK. 

This  ditty  is  a  string  of  lies, 

But — how  the  deuce  did  Gubbins  rise. 

Potiphar  Gubbins,  C.  E., 
Stands  at  the  top  of  the  tree. 
And  I  muse  in  my  br d  on  the  reasons  that  led 
To  the  hoisting  of  Potiphar  G. 

Potiphar  Gubbins,  C.  E., 
Is  seven  years  junior  to  me  ; 

Each  bridge  that  he  makes  he  either  buckles  or  breaks, 
And  his  work  is  as  rough  as  he. 

Potiphar  Gubbins,  C.  E., 
Is  coarse  as  a  chimpanzee, 

And  I  can't  understand  why  you  gave  him  your  hand, 
Lovely  Mehitabel  Lee. 

Potiphar  Gubbins,  C.  E., 
Is  dear  to  the  Powers  that  Be, 
For  they  bow  and  they  smile  in  an  affable  style, 
Which  is  seldom  accorded  to  me. 

Potiphar  Gubbins,  C.  E., 
Is  certain  as  certain  can  be. 
Of  a  highly-paid  post  which  is  claimed  by  a  host 
Of  Seniors— including  me. 

Careless  and  lazy  is  he, 
Greatly  inferior  to  me  ; 
What  is  the  spell  that  you  manage  so  well, 
Commonplace  Potiphar  G.  ? 

Lovely  Mehitabel  Lee, 
Let  me  inquire  of  thee. 
Should  I  have  riz  to  what  Potiphar  is, 
Had'st  thou  been  mated  to  me  ? 


178  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 

what  travelers  and  commercial  agents  or 
"  tradespeople,"  as  he  stigmatized  them, 
wanted  to  be  "  nosing  about  for,"  and  if  he 
could  manage  it,  would  have  them  all  sent 
back  from  his  territory.  He  used  the  State 
funds  placed  in  his  hands,  not  as  they  were 
intended,  for  entertaining,  and  bringing  all 
foreigners  in  the  town  together  into  pleasant 
social  intercourse,  but  to  gratify  a  selfish, 
morbid  taste  for  getting  up  private  dinners 
and  parties  that  cost  him  but  little,  in  the 
interests  of  a  select  few  ;  claiming  that  the 
rest,  even  though  his  own  English  country- 
men, were  low  class  and  unfit  for  his  immacu- 
late society.  He  was  too  great  a  coward  to 
face  you  openly  with  his  pitiable  puerility,  at 
the  same  time  much  too  politic  to  overstep 
the  bounds  of  his  office  so  as  to  afford  you  a 
handle  whereby  you  could  criminate  him. 
Yet  his  actions  showed  that  he  was  not  only 
foolishly  officious,  but  at  the  same  time  silly 
enough  to  suspect  that  every  stranger  was  the 
"everlasting  Russian  spy."  Not  only  this, 
but  he  was  in  the  habit  of  traducing  the 
stranger,  even  if  his  own  countryman,  and  of 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  179 

making  it  as  uncomfortable  for  him  as  possi- 
ble. Imagine  such  a  being  selected  for  an 
important  office  on  the  Indian  Frontier,  as 
for  example  to  represent  Her  Gracious  Im- 
perial Majesty  Queen  Victoria  in  lovely  Cash- 
mere !  Better  have  ten  Russian  spies  "  nosing 
about"  than  such  a  timid  and  apprehensive 
individual  for  a  Resident  in  that  happy  valley 
just  being  thrown  open  to  civilization.* 

*  We  extract  the  following  from  a  leading  Bombay  paper:  -"The  Indian 
If  finest  tells  us  that  a  gentleman  who  holds  a  Professor's  chair  in  one  of 
the  Universities  in  the  Southern  States,  has  achieved  a  very  unenviable 
notoriety  in  America,  for  refusing  to  shake  hands  with  a  gentleman  of 
darker  color  than  his  own.  He  has  very  properly  been  removed  from  his 
appointment,  his  conduct  having  awakened  great  indignation.  But  two  or 
three  days  before  we  saw  this  incident  in  the  Witness,  a  gentleman,  who  was 

making  a  casual  call  upon  us,  in  referring  to  the  Resident  at  ,  told  us 

with  what  indignation  he  had  seen  this  gentleman  openly  insult  a  very  dis- 
tinguished native  officer  at  the  Court  in  the  same  way.  The  native 

gentleman  in  question  held  almost  the  highest  official  position  in  the  native 
State.  He  is  a  man  of  refinement  and  education,  and  bears  an  unsullied 
character.  Accustomed  to  meet  Englishmen  on  a  footing  of  courteous 
equality,  he  held  out  his  hand  to  welcome  the  new  Resident,  in  the  ordinary 
way  of  shaking  hands,  not  dreaming  that  it  would  be  refused,  and  held  it 
out  long  enough  to  create  embarrassment.  Our  civilian  Resident  stiffly  in- 
clined his  head,  and  refused  to  see  the  Minister's  outstretched  hand,  and  the 
latter  withdrew  it.  If  Lord  Dufferin  would  like  to  know  the  name  of  this 
Resident  and  of  the  gentleman  he  thus  insulted,  we  will  give  both.  This 
same  Resident,  we  are  assured,  in  spite  of  the  large  allowances  attached  to 
his  office,  lives  absolutely  and  entirely  at  the  expense  of  the  Court  to  which 
he  is  accredited  as  our  representative.  Not  only  his  horses,  but  his  table, 
his  servants  (we  think)  and  the  whole  of  his  expenses,  are  paid  by  the 
Maharajah,  with  that  diffuse  hospitality  that  characterizes  Eastern  Courts. 
And  the  vulgar  fellow  who  is  not  above  receiving  and  profiting  by  this  hos- 
pitality, is  too  great  a  man  to  show  the  ordinary  courtesy  of  a  gentleman,  to 
the  highest  officer  in  the  State,  a  man  more  than  equal  to  himself,  in  all 
probability,  in  education  and  ability.  We  have  no  doubt  that  if  we  were  to 


180  ON  INDIA'S  FRONTIER. 


Does  the  Anglo-Indian  wonder  he  has  a  bad 
name  ?  Is  the  English  Government  at  a  loss 
to  know  why  it  does  not  succeed  better  with 
its  civilizing  schemes  and  social  reforms ; 
why  there  is  not  more  harmony  between  the 
governing  classes  and  the  governed ;  why 
there  is  not  more  in  common  between  the  offi- 
cials and  their  own  countrymen  in  India  *  even 
when  the  latter  are  wielding  the  most  civiliz- 
ing, harmonizing,  reforming  influences  through 
the  ramifications  of  business  and  commerce  ? 

England's^ndian  frontier  to-day  would  have 
been  a  wall  of  adamant  against  Russian  ag- 


ask  this  gentleman  the  cause  of  his  rudeness,  he  would  tell  us  that  the 
prestige  of  his  position  required  to  be  upheld  by  him.  The  Duke  and 
Duchess  of  Connaught  both  shook  the  hand  of  this  native  gentleman 
warmly,  as  they  did  the  hand  of  every  official  presented  to  them.  But  then 
a  Royal  Duke  cares  nothing  for  \A&prestige,  and  the  civilian  does. 

"  It  may  be  questioned,  we  admit  frankly,  whether  ir  is  wise  to  notice  such 
conduct  or  to  let  it  pass.  We  confess  that  it  is  strong  indignation  only  that 
leads  us  to  notice  it.  The  native  gentleman  to  whom  this  insult  was  offered, 
V»  a  distinguished  graduate  of  one  of  our  Universities,  a  man  of  high 
character  also  and  of  very  great  abilities.  Our  own  feeling  in  presence  of 
such  conduct  is  so  strong,  that  upon  satisfactory  proof  that  the  insult  was 
rea'ly  offered,  we  should  require  this  Civilian  Resident  to  make  his  choice 
between  an  adequate  apology  to  the  gentleman  he  had  insulted,  and  retire- 
ment from  the  public  service.  Under  any  circumstances,  we  should  remove 
him  from  the  political  line  altogether,  a  career  for  which  he  is  plainly 
unfitted." 

*  It  is  well  known  that  the  last  Viceroy  of  India,  Lord  Ripon,  came  very 
near  being  ingloriously  "  summoned  to  his  account"  through  the  murderous 
hands  of  enraged  fellow  countrymen  who  whether  as  commercial  men  in 
Calcutta  or  as  planters  of  Darjeeling  and  Behar  execrated  his  very  name. 


ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER.  181 

gression,  had  she  from  the  first  encouraged 
her  merchants  to  establish  business  houses, 
with  their  many  connections  and  agencies, 
throughout  that  misguided  territory,  inducing 
the  natives  and  interesting  their  governments 
to  apply  their  misdirected  zeal  and  to  invest 
their  misspent  capital  in  good  roads  and  prof- 
itable branches  of  trade  which  would  have 
enlightened,  improved  and  fraternized  this 
now  incongruous  fermenting  mass  of  hu- 
manity. 

Despite  all  the  obstructions  and  the  per- 
sistent  efforts  of  these  incompetent  officials, 
who  represent  the  Foreign  Office,  to  smother 
the  spread  of  commerce,  some  trade  at  least 
manages  to  percolate  through  the  Indian 
boundary  limits,  if  the  following  recent  official 
report  can  be  relied  upon  : 

"  Colonel  Lockhart's  Mission  while  in  Gilgit,  Chitral, 
and  even  further  north  in  Wakhan,  found  that  Manchester 
cotton  goods  had  complete  command  of  the  market.  Ot 
course,  the  market  was  a  limited  one,  for  the  country  is 
sparsely  inhabited,  and  the  people  are  poor.  English  cot- 
ton goods  had  penetrated  to  these  remote  and  obscure 
regions,  were  well  known  to  the  people  and  commanded  a 
ready  and  growing  sale.  In  Gilgit  the  average  value  of 


182  ON  INDIA  'S  FRONTIER. 

cotton  appears  to  have  been  five  yards  to  the  rupee.  Rus- 
sian cotton  seemed  to  be  unknown,  and  what  was  not  ob- 
tained from  English  sources  was  supplied  locally  or  from 
Chinese  Kashgar.  A  curiosity  in  trade  was  discovered  in 
the  fact  that  American  firearms  imported  by  way  of  Rus- 
sian Turkestan  were  underselling  English  weapons 
brought  from  India.  Thus  a  good  revolver  which  had 
come  all  the  way  from  Cincinnati,  U.  S.  A.,  was  purchased 
in  Chitral  for  Rs.  15.  The  people  think  these  arms  are  of 
Russian  manufacture,  but  the  factory  stamp  discloses 
their  true  origin." — Extract  from  the  "Bombay  Gazette" 

I  will  not  weary  my  readers  with  the  de- 
tails of  our  journey  back  to  Calcutta.  I  will 
simply  say  that  we  did  not  encounter  any  diffi- 
culty, and  got  over  the  ground  more  rapidly 
than  when  coming — thanks  to  the  Doctor  and 
his  fast  horses,  besides  two  Bhutea  ponies  lent 
us  by  the  Nepal  Durbar . 

The  first  day's  march  brought  us  to  Cisa- 
gurdi,  where,  as  stated,  our  old  friend  the 
Havildar  did  everything  for  our  comfort ;  the 
next  day  brought  us  to  Hetowda,  and  the 
next  to  Bechakho.  The  following  day  being 
overtaken  by  a  drenching  rain  in  the  gloomy 
Terai  forest,  which  wet  us  to  the  skin,  we 
found  shelter  in  a  hut  beyond  Semrabassa, 


ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER.  183 

having  for  a  good  share  of  its  roof  a  thriving 
pumpkin  vine.  This  placo  we  carpeted  with 
rice  straw,  and  here  we  passed  the  night,  feel- 
ing as  comfortable  as  a  prince  in  his  palace. 

On  the  following  day  we  reached  the  pleas- 
ant bungalow  of  an  Indigo  planter  at  Ruck 
soul,  just  inside  of  British  territory,  and  were 
freely  offered  every  hospitality,  even  his  well- 
stocked  stable  being  placed  at  our  disposal. 

That  same  night  we  pushed  on  and  reached 
Segowli  Railway  Station,  expecting  to  make 
ourselves  comfortable  there  with  our  bedding 
sent  on  ahead  by  the  kind  forethought  of  our 
planter  host.  In  this,  however,  we  were  doomed 
to  disappointment,  as  our  coolies  had  con- 
cluded to  ensure  for  themselves  first  a  good 
night's  rest  somewhere  on  the  road,  no  mat- 
ter what  became  of  us,  and  did  not  turn  up 
till  noon  of  the  following  day ! 

We  had  therefore  to  arrange  ourselves  on 
some  chairs  in  the  railway  waiting-room. 
The  night  proved  far  too  cold  for  our  ordinary 
light  clothing,  so  we  placed  lanterns  under 
our  chairs  and  spread  over  us  several  large 
newspapers,  as  wraps,  thereby  securing  enough 


184  ON  INDIA 'S  FRONTIER. 

warmth  from  our  improvised  stove  and  paper 
covering  to  weather  the  night  through  fairly 
well. 

It  was  pleasant  to  hear  again  the  screech  of 
the  engine,  the  rattle  of  the  car  wheels,  and  to 
feel  ourselves  being  whirled  along  behind  steam 
once  more.  And  thus  it  was  while  being 
borne  back  to  India's  capital,  seated  in  a  com- 
fortable railway  carriage  that  we  had  time  to 
go  over  the  different  incidents  of  our  eventful 
journey  and  came  to  the  conclusion,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  thought  suggested  at  the 
outset  of  this  narrative  that  all  travel  had  not 
yet  lost  its  romance. 

On  our  arrival   at  Calcutta*  we  were  con- 


*  The  following  appeared  in  one  of  the  Calcutta  dailies  the  day  after  Mr. 
Ballantine's  arrival  in  that  city  :  "  We  learn  that  Mr.  Henry  Ballantine,  the 
enterprising  traveler  and  explorer,  has  just  arrived  at  Calcutta,  from  Nepal. 
As  he  was  the  only  European  at  the  British  Residency  in  Khattnandu,  apart 
from  the  Residency  Surgeon,  who  was  an  eye-witness  of  the  troubl.  s  conse- 
quent on  the  murder  of  the  Maharajah  and  certain  officials  there,  we  fancy  he 
could,  if  he  chose,  '  a  tale  unfold."  Probably  the  proper  Government  officials 
here  already  have  had  an  interview  with  him,  but,  however  that  may  be,  we 
learn  on  g6od authority  that  Mr.  Ballantine  has  bein  commissioned  by  the 
new  Durbar  to  make  out  an  estimate  for  certain  improvements  for  immediate 
execution.  If  these  be  really  carried  out,  we  can  assure  the  new  regime  lhat 
no  stronger  proof  could  be  given  to  the  outside  world  and  to  the  Indian 
Government  of  their  good  intentions  and  of  their  sincere  resolve  to  institute 
a  reform  in  that  benighted  corner  of  the  earth,  notorious  for  generations 
past  for  its  habitations  of  cruelty.  We  congratulate  Nepal  in  committing 
to  such  an  enterprising  gentleman  any  contemplated  reforms  ;  for  in  such 
good  hands,  they  may  rest  assured  of  as  great  success  as  their  wretched 


O.V  IXDIA  'S  FRONTIER  185 


gratulated  by  friends  as  if  returning  from  an 
endeavor  to  discover  "  the  Northwest  Passage'* 
or  from  looking  up  traces  of  the  "  Franklin  Ex- 
pedition," and  the  questions  asked  were  a  de~ 
deplorable  commentary  on  the  ignorance  of 
the  capital  of  India  about  its  important  next- 
door  neighbor. 

city  now  stands  deplorably  in  need  of ;  while  we  could  point  Nepal  to  Japan 
and  its  present  prosperous,  independent  and  highly  creditable  stand  amon-i 
civilized  nations,  as  a  position  worthy  and  possible  of  their  attainment.'1 
\The  Publishers.] 


THE    KM). 


IN  DEX. 


A 

PAGE 

Agriculture.  Exhaustive  methods  of 137 

Rudimentary  cultivation 138 

American  firearms 182 

Periodicals 151 

Anglo-Indian  officials.  How  they  travel 37 

Their  supercilious  bearing 174 

Character  in  general  175-181 

Army.  Standing,  of  Nepal 1 23 

Needlessly  large 1 24 

Assassination  of  the  Maharajah  of  Nepal 156 

B 

Bear.    An  unpleasant  meeting 60 

Bhairub.     God  of  Death — stone  image 128 

Bhatgaon.     The  oldest  capital.     Built  A.  D.  865 161 

Bimphedi.     Delayed  at 64 

Bodhnath.    A  Buddhistic  shrine 117 

Bogle  and  Manning's  trip  into  Thibet 154 

Brahmin  scribe,  on  the  Havildar's  staff 77 

British  government  in  India  criticised  . .  .4,  5,  6,81,  154-155 

Manufactures 131-181 

British  Residency.     The  surgeon  our  temporary  host.   105 

An  asylum  on  the  night  of  the  assassination 158 

Resident  at  Khatmandu  discourages  our  under- 
taking, but  on  further  solicitation  sent  us  pass- 
port   13 

Meeting  with,  in  the  jungle 52 

His  return  to  the  capital  161 


188  INDEX. 

Buddha.     Statue  of .' no 

Buffalo's  milk  at  Rugganathpore 22 

Buffer  States 3,  125 

Bullock  caravan 41 

Bullock  cart  19,  30 

Bungalow.     Stop  at 18 

c 

Calcutta.     Farther  away,  but  nearer  in  time 15 

Returning  to 175 

Arrival  at.    Journey's  end 184-185 

Camera.     Fortunate  in  bringing  a 108 

Exquisite  wood  carvings  photographed 112 

Experience  with 1 13-130 

Canned  provisions 15 

Capital  punishment 144 

Cattle  destroyed  by  wild  beasts 39 

Child-marriages  in  vogue 134 

Chundragiri,  Mt 98 

Cisagurdi.    Climbing  of 71 

Garrisoned  pass . .   74 

Coolies,  as  carriers , 19,  49,  50,  55,  57-97 

Honesty  of 58 

Copper  bell.     Huge 130 

D 

Darjeeling,  the  starting  point 10 

Descent  to  the  plains 14 

Dead  elephant,  astonishing  spectacle 46 

Dewali.     Festival  of.     A  night  orgy 34-66 

Dharera  pillar.     View  from 122 

Diwalgiri  Mt 12 

E 

East,  The.    Attractive  field  for  adventurous  travel. ..   153 
East  India  Company.     Its  policy  contrasted  with  that 

of  present  government  of  India 4,  5,  6 


INDKX.  189 

Education.     Native 136 

Ekka,  a  vehicle.     Description  of 20 

Mutinous  driver  deserts 27-28 

Everest,  Mt 12,  QQ,  163 

F 

Flesh,  what  kinds  as  food 135 

French  archaeologist  in  India 163 

G 

Ganges  river.    Crossing  the 17 

Gosain  Than,  Mt too 

H 

Harry.     Illness  of 71,  87,  96,  102 

Havildar,  The.    Our  rude  reception  by 75 

He  treats  our  perwana,  or  transport,  with  scorn.  .83-88 

He  weakens  and  yields 89 

We  "  make  up  "  and  part  as  friends 90 

On  our  return 182 

Himalayan  bear.    A  disagreeable  encounter 60 

Himalayas.    First  view  of 32 

We  enter  the 36 

An  ensemble 100 

I 

Imprisonment  for  life 144 

Indigo  plantations 17 

Indra,  The  god.    Brass  thunderbolt  of no 

Itinerary.     Table  of 105 

J 

Jungle.    We  plunge  into  the 34 

Justice  :  free  from  formalities  and  delay 144 

K 

Khatmandu,  the  capital  city 13 

Scenery  on  approaching  and  first  view  of 91 

Arrival  at IOI 


190  INDEX. 

Filthy  streets 126 

Inhabitants  :  various  races 132 

Women,  The 132,  133 

Kinchenjunga,  Mt '4^99 

L 

Languages.    Parbatiya,  modern  Sanscrit  134 

Of  the  Newars,  different 134 

M 

Maharajah.     Meaning  of  title 106 

Of  Nepal 106,  107 

Necessity  of  audience  with 108 

The  audience 148 

The  assassination 156 

A  night  of  terror 157 

The  new.     Interview  with 171 

Mail  carriers  :  relays  of  runners 39,  40 

Manufactures,  native  and  British 131 

Markhu.     Intense  heat  in  valley  of 93 

Great  rise  of,  during  freshets 93 

Matsiputra,  Mt i.X3 

Mendicant  priests 141 

Criminals  in  disguise  as 141 

Monkeys.     A  hill  infested  with 109 

Monoliths,  at  Bhatgaon  and  elsewhere 161 

Mountain  shrine.    A  Newar  boy,  as  custodian  to  the 

gods 49 

N 

Nagarjun,  Mt 121 

Nana  Sahib 142 

Native  manufactures 131 

Nepal :  why  so  little  known 6 

Its  location,  boundaries  and  climates 12 

Its  capital,  Khatmandu 13 

British  resident 13 

Valley  of 98 


INDEX.  191 

Semi-tropical  trees  and  birds 102 

Studied  isolation  of 103 

Standing  army  of 123 

Nyatpoia  Dewal.    Temple  of 162 

P 

Palaces.    Location  of 145 

Pantheon  of  Hindoo  deities 1 1 1 

Pashupati.     Holy  shrine  of 113 

Persowny.     Our  host  at 26 

Photographic  experiences  . .    ....    311 

Polygamy  :  how  regulated 134 

Ponies,  under  the  saddle 20,  30,  40,  182 

Poultry  :  an  amusing  custom 139 

Powahs,  or  caravansaries 51 

Preparations  for  the  start 9 

Primogeniture.    Laws  of 144 

Princely  party,  on  elephants .   95-102 

Q 

Queen  Jetta  Maharani. 

Her  remarkable  mount „.. 0 158 

R 

Races,  various,  in  Khatmandu 132 

Railways  :  Narrow  and   standard  gauge  to  Calcutta, 

Mokameh  and  Segowli 14,  16,  17 

Tirhoot  State  Railway 17 

Feasible  route  for,  to  India  104 

Raj  Guru,  The  ;  or  archbishop 142 

Rakshi.    Liquor  distilled  from  rice 135 

Residency  surgeon.     His  charity  hospital  143 

Romance  of  travel.    Then  :  now 9,  10 

Ruksoul  :  the  boundary  line 24 

Russian  aggression.    Apprehension  of 3 


192  INDEX 

S 

Schools.     Native  1 36 

Servant,  Nepalese,  for  the  journey 15 

Sir  Jung  Bahadur  (the  late). 

Fine  roads  constructed  by 55,  72,  120 

Enlightened  views  of 129 

Palace  of 145 

Siva.     Huge  figure  of 120 

Slavery  :  existing  in  Nepal 140 

As  a  punishment  for  crime    140 

Prices  of  slaves 140 

Social  customs  of  the  capital 1 32 

Stone  slabs,  spots  on,  foreboding  calamity 121,  159 

Suttee  :  formerly  committed  by  widows. 114 

Swayambhunatha.     Shrine   of,  in  possession  of  mon- 
keys    109-112 

T 

Taxes 145 

Tea-drinking  popular 136 

Terai  Forest  30 

A  malarious  belt  of  jungle 32,  33 

Great  trees  in 35 

Tragic  scenes 157 

W 

Water.    Lack  of  pure 147 

Water-works  suggested  to  the  new  government 172 

Wild  beasts,  destroy  cattle    39 

Women  of  the  capital 132,  133 

Wood  carvings.      Wonderful,   photographed 112 

In  great  profusion 127 

Too  often  obscene 128 

Probably  becoming  a  lost  art 128 

Very  fine  at  Bhatgaon  (ancient) 161 

Y 

Yassa,  Mt 12 


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